Conversation with Curator, Robert Bowen

CONDUCTED BY D YOUNG V

In this interview, curator Robert Bowen reflects on his evolution from pop-culture inspired paintings to prophetic, biomechanical visions merging animals with machinery. A single dream of a turbine fused with a shark shifted his trajectory, leading to explorations of environmental fragility and the plight of bees, balanced by his vibrant gemstone series. Bowen also shares his long history with 111 Minna Gallery and the journey that brought the Bridge Studio Collective together at their new home on Bryant Street.

View the show

MINNA: To begin this interview, I thought it best to introduce the curator of our ‘Bridge Studio Collective’ exhibition, Robert Bowen to our readers.

Robert, you have been a staple in the Bay Area art community for over two decades now. Since we first met at the now legendary revolutionary bookstore/ art gallery, Babylon Falling in the fall of 2007; I have seen you go through several stylistic and conceptual variations as an artist and witnessed your work expand greatly both in productivity and new media. I’ve seen influences from graffiti and street art, pop surrealism and several iterations of fine art exhibited throughout the different styles and media you have adopted within your own unique vision. From my interpretation, when we were first introduced; many of your works presented dream-like worlds often displaying clever puns and references on modern society and history mixed with representations from popular culture. Since then I have witnessed your work transform into visual depictions of animals and insects existing with varied machine parts as part of their anatomy. The depictions of this wild life read like fictional biomorphic creatures offering a social and environmental message to our civilization that can be seen as a warning of our present industrial and technological actions that are vastly impacting the planet as whole. 

Can you give our readers some insight into your path as a visual artist that led to the profound vision you are currently conveying to the public?   

ROBERT: Thanks Dave, alright here we go:

Right, I used to paint a lot of pop culture-inspired pieces. They were punny, fun, and more light-hearted than my current work, but despite the vibrant colors, there was often a darker undercurrent. I was always trying to convey a message, even if some of it was lost in the playful, pop culture veneer. 

One morning, still half asleep, I had a vivid image of a jet turbine engine seamlessly merging with a shark. That moment opened a whole new world for me. It sparked a dialogue about how the mechanical, human-made world is colliding with the perfection of nature. While I love depicting all fauna through this lens, I especially delved into insects—their intricate, technical design fitting perfectly with the mechanics of an engine.

This led me to consider the plight of bees, and how their decline, driven by shitty human interference, threatens us all. The idea of replacing them with mechanical versions to address this issue became a powerful concept—one that I saw extending to all ofnature. A new artistic direction was born. After about 12 years of exploring these prophetic tragedies through my paintings, I craved a more positive outlet. To contrast that darker theme, I began my gemstone series, to coincide and combat the mechanical.

MINNA: Right on Bowen!

The vivid image that came into your mind of a jet turbine engine seamlessly merging with a shark seems very prophetic indeed. I’m very fascinated that a single dream (or dream-like experience) can forever alter one’s artistic vision and perception on how they see the world at large.

As many of us know bees play a crucial part in the planet’s ecosystem and are responsible for providing much of our global food supplies.  Can you explain in more detail your vision and perception on the plight of bees and how the interference of humans in their survival will in turn affect our survival? 

Additionally, in your twelve years of developing and exploring this concept; your creative path led you to develop a second parallel path. This new path, your ‘gemstone’ series provides a positive balance to your biomechanical series. It seems these two series operate as light and dark for you both creatively and psychologically as an artist. Can you expound upon the ways in which these two paths interact with one another for both yourself and the viewer? 

ROBERT: I mean shit, “if the bees go, we all go” is a saying. The use of pesticides, that have been used, banned, and now brought back into play by overturning EPA regulations have decimated the bee population. While human extinction is not the guaranteed outcome, the loss of bees would have severe consequences not only for food security, but biodiversity, and the overall health of the planet. We’d have to design a replacement pollinator, and that’s where the ideas for some of my paintings come into play. While I think they are fun to do and, for me, there’s a sense of beauty to them, it should never happen.

As much as I love the beautifully tragic imagery of the mechanical stuff, over a decade of it was starting to get pretty heavy for me. I needed something to juxtapose it. I started thinking about people and how they safeguard and protect their precious stones and jewelery. That’s the way we should treat nature and the natural world. A new series was born as a direct response to the dialog I was already having with myself. It was needed.    

MINNA: I really do like that comparison between the bees and the jewels, along with the emotional balance it provides you as a creative thinker. 

For this next question, let’s get into the history of your relationship with us here at 111 Minna Gallery. You’ve been working with us as an artist for two decades now, how did 111 Minna Gallery first get on your radar? 

ROBERT: 111 Minna was one of those spots that I always wanted to show at. When I was young, I remember seeing stuff there that was inspirational, as well as motivating. They were showing Lowbrow and Pop Surrealism, and with the art I was doing at the time, I thought maybe I had a chance at showing my work. I got my first chance in 2003 in the Sci-fi western show. and then again in 2005 in the Worst-Case Scenario show. 

After that I was in a few great group shows here and there, and then in 2012 I had the opportunity to have a two person show with Isaac Piero, we added Phillip Lawson and his Weapons of Light and a few pieces by Ransom and Mitchell, I loved that show, we titled it Lethal Injection. There were a few more group shows, and then in 2018 I had my first solo show. I filled both galleries, did a mural on the stage, and had some fun mural aspects throughout. It was quite the undertaking, I was super proud of it and it felt like I had really established a great relationship with the gallery.

The show was titled Blasphemous Nature, which in turn started me on the path to think about my work as a whole and where I was going with it. 

That later became the title of my book and also my second solo show, with the book release, in 2022. Weirdly, all those major shows I’ve had at Minna happen in August. This current show with the Bridge Studio Collective is following suit.

MINNA: August really seems like your month!!!! I remember all these exhibitions very well and the after parties that went along with them. Classic Minna….

Now that we’ve become more familiar with you, the curator; let’s talk about The Bridge Studio Collective. Prior to setting up your collective in 2023 at 333 Bryant st., adjacent to The Bay Bridge; many of you were operating at the Heinzer building in The Mission for a decade plus until 2022. You clearly have a long and rich history with many of the artists in the collective. Can you tell us something about the relationships you’ve formed with these artists leading up to this collective exhibition?  

ROBERT: I came super late in the game to Heinzer, me and Daryll were only there for a couple years. Chad, Adam, Jon, Daniel, Jillian had been there for a while. Britt Henze was there too. I had known Adam previously, always loved his work, the same with Chad, but it was Chad who called me up one day to let me know that there was a studio space open at Heinzer. From there I met Jon, Daniel, and Jillian, such great and cool artists to meet. I was stoked to be in a space with them. In 2022 we all got the boot. It was pretty devastating, especially for the artists who had been there for so long. We collectively looked for a space together, It was a really nice feeling for me to even be included in that process. We saw a space on craigslist, it seemed too good to be true, but was very real. A space that had been vacant for years, old office, tech hub, wide open space. We got it!  The landlord was happy to have us, and decided to build out individual studios in what was once an open ten thousand sq foot floor print. We were excited to say the least. We could actually bring other artists into the fold and reached out to artists some or all of us had previously known, I had known Leon for years, and Eric and Alice I knew of and were a great fit for all involved. Everyone met, and we all decided it was a go, and here we are today. I am extremely happy to have been involved in all the process and consider myself lucky to be included with this really positive, motivated, and dedicated group of fun weirdos.

MINNA: I remember the Heinzer Warehouse shutting down in 2022 after Ernie Heinzer’s passing. It was a tragedy to see that building go after housing so many artist studios and fostering so much creativity for decades. I remember the panic a lot of artists experienced at that time in a city that was making affordable rents scarcer and scarcer every year. It seemed that the tech exodus that occurred during that time left many spaces available that were originally intended for the endless ‘start-ups’ flooding the city in the years prior to the pandemic. It seems like your hard work, good artist karma and the changing city dynamics really worked out in your favor.

The Heinzer building provided a very makeshift DIY warehouse environment which radiated San Francisco history and character going all the way back to the 1930’s to the days of the Southern Pacific Railroad. I know that this historically rich environment with its own set of rules allowed your collective and creativity to flourish in unique ways that would not be possible in a different type of environment. You have now evolved into the ‘Bridge Studio Collective’, due to your new downtown Bay bridge adjacent location on 333 Bryant st. This area does have a rich history as well, but is highly developed with its office buildings and high rise condos surrounding the ballpark area. The building you occupy is modern and the studio spaces are brand new. Would you say that this new and completely contrasting environment to your previous space has altered the way you approach your art and the social dynamic you share with your collective members?  

ROBERT: The Neighborhood we are in now definitely has some SF art history to it, Isaac Piero, Chad and David have mentioned to me they had, visited or partied in the building across the street. Personally, I don’t think the new refined space has had any effect on the art. If anything, it has allowed us to thrive more with a spot we don’t have to worry about. It’s a great place, mostly free of technical problems, where we can focus on our work. It has a different history, different vibe, but we are still a part of it. We are making it.  

MINNA: I’m sure having a building that is fully up to code with all the modern amenities must provide a certain sense of stability, calm and reassurance in its own way.

Our current exhibition is the second group exhibition featuring this eclectic group of artists. The first was ‘TOGETHER’ hosted at Heron Arts in April of 2017. This exhibition featured the Heinzer Warehouse artists at the time (aka Treat Avenue Studios), several of whom are in our current exhibition. Do you foresee any upcoming collective based projects or collaborations with your studio members in the near future?

ROBERT: How do I put this, not to undersell this show at all, it was a no brainer. This collective is so vibrant, consistent and on the creative move, that I foresee many an exhibition coming from the Bridge Studio Collective, again, with these cats, it’s a no brainer.

Everyone here is independently a beautiful thing, effortlessly and consistently producing top of the game work. I love them all, but as a collective…that combined energy is a force, and I will always want to work together in that aspect.

MINNA: Thank You for taking the time to conduct this interview with us Robert. We’re all looking forward to seeing what future endeavors the collective will be up to in the future along with any individual and collaborative projects that may be on the horizon!

‘The Bridge Studio Collective’ exhibition will be on view at 111 Minna Gallery until Friday, September 12th. 

We will be hosting a Sketch Thursday and Artist Q&A with the artist on Thursday, August 28th from 5-10pm

You may also join us for one last hoorah!!!! On September 12th from 5-10pm to celebrate the exhibition one last time!