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Andrew Owen, Brilliant Cut Excavation (2007), excavated poster hoarding, cellulose paste & archival varnish [Marion Scott Gallery, Vancouver BC, May 22-Jul 4]
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Andrew Owen, Humber River Wildflowers impression (2007), spray enamel & flowers on canvas [Marion Scott Gallery, Vancouver BC, May 22-Jul 4]
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A pioneer of Toronto’s street art scene in the early 1980s, Andrew Owen is a conceptual artist known as A01. As It Is: And/Or/Neither/Nor, a retrospective exhibition and his first solo show in a Vancouver gallery, brings together more than 20 works, including paintings, photo-based works and pieces made from repurposed materials.
Among the most popular of the Montreal-born artist’s works are poster hoardings from the Downtown Eastside called Excavations, which he peels to reveal numerous patterns and areas of text. Inspired by David Hockney’s large photo assemblages, his Re-photo-cubic Portrait Tableaux incorporate photographs from a multitude of locations, perspectives and timeframes in new collages featuring street people, residents, construction workers, street signs and weathered surfaces.
A new collection of spray-painted flowers, Impressions, is quickly gaining acclaim for its raw edge and strong graphic appeal. Using real flowers as natural stencils, Owen sprays paint onto canvas to create actual-scale images of the plants.
Owen was a commercial artist before living and studying in India, Korea, Japan and Taiwan in the 1990s. He returned to Canada in 2004 where he lives and works in both Vancouver and Toronto.
www.marionscottgallery.com
