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DAVE BOWERS

Dave Bowers was born in Geelong (Victoria, Australia) in 1964. He studied illustration and life drawing at Monash University, Caulfield, and graduated with a degree in Graphic Design in 1986. From this point on Bowers headed steadily towards a fine art career.
 
Bowers created art/street label Umgawa with partner Nick Morris in 1992 and his quirky, bold, colourful style quickly caught the eye of Mambo head, Dare Jennings. After selling Umgawa, he became a Mambo regular and thrived in the Mambo environment of wild colour and irreverence.

Growing up in the Outer western suburbs of Melbourne, a combination of rural, industrial and working class suburban, has heavily influenced Bowers works. He ranges freely across media and themes, skipping playfully from rural behemoths – majestic bulls and semi-trailers – to Melbourne streetscapes in close-up, to pop icons and the unexpected poetry of spam. Bowers refuses to be defined by a single style: his gleaning of materials, words and colours from his immediate world leads him down many stylistic paths.

Bowers works with acrylics, enamels and oil sticks. He also uses found objects, signage and collage, including cardboard boxes salvaged from Asian supermarkets, with their striking commercial symbols and bold exotic scripts. Another source of inspiration and materials is street combing, picking through the detritus left by the passing, multicultural human tides of his home suburbs in Melbourne’s inner west.  Bowers has had sell out shows in Melbourne, Sydney and France and has been snapped up bycollectors all over Asia, America and Europe. He was a finalist in the 2010 Moran portraiture prize with his collaborative portrait of elusive Victorian artist Doug Bartlett.

Solo Exhibitions

2012     THE GRIND Harrison Gallery Sydney
2012     HEARTBREAKERS Yering Station Gallery
2011     PETIT TRAVAUX Retrospect gallery Gold Coast QLD
2011     MAN MADE Salt Gallery Queenscliff Vic
2011     SHARPEN YOUR BRAIN Linton & Kay Contemporary Perth
2011     DOUBLE EXTRA SUPER Retrospect gallery Gold Coast QLD
2010     SWING LOW Mario’s Cafe Melbourne.
2010     PERSONALITY INSTANTLY SPACEJUNK  France
2010     HIGH POP LOW BROW Salt Gallery Queenscliff Vic
2010     AAF NYC  New York
2010     MORAN PRIZE SHOW Sydney
2010     HARRISON GALLERY Sydney
2010     UFO GALLERY Hong Kong
2009     EXTRA SAUCE Mario’s Cafe Melbourne
2009     GLOBAL BOOM Retrospect gallery Byron Bay NSW
2009     FREE RADICALS Greenwood Gallery Melbourne
2009     BULLET PROOF Harrison Gallery Sydney
2009     COOPER GALLERY  Noosa Heads
2008     NEW IMPLOSION Mario’s Cafe Melbourne
2008     SPRING ST GALLERY Sydney
2008     YERING STATION Victoria
2008     HARRISON GALLERY Sydney
2008     GREENWOOD GALLERY Lorne
2008     GAFFER GALLERY Hong Kong
2008     SPACEJUNK GALLERY France
2007     TIGER FISH GALLERY Torquay
2007     HO GALLERY Melbourne
2007     FRESH GALLERY Melbourne
2007     100% GOOD ENOUGH Mario’s Cafe Melbourne

group Exhibitions

2006     CHINA HEIGHTS, Sydney
2006     THE BAKERY, Perth
2006     REVOLVER, Melbourne
2006     WHITEWASH GROUP SHOW Torquay
2006     MAMBO SHOW Mario’s Café Melbourne
2005     MAMBO SHOW Mario’s Café Melbourne

Awards

2010  DOUG MORAN finalist

Media/Publications

2009    Q MAGAZINE. Issue 56
2009    SURFERS JOURNAL France
2008    SPACEJUNK MAGAZINE France
2008    NEWS HOUR. ABC Aust, Asia, India and Pacific
2008    JET STAR in flight Magazine
2008    AG ideas Book Melbourne
2008    OYSTER MAGAZINE Sydney Issue 75
2008    THE RED FLAG / USELESS MAGAZINE German
2007    WATIM On line Issue 12

2007    SPACEJUNK MAGAZINE France
2007    KINGBROWN MAGAZINE Perth.Issue 2
2006    DESKTOP MAGAZINE.Melbourne Issue 223 Cover
2006    EMPTY MAGAZINE. Sydney Issue 8
2006   SEMI-PERMANENT BOOK Sydney

2005    SEMI-PERMANENT BOOK Sydney
2005    MAVIOLOGY MAGAZINE Istanbul
2005    SEMI-PERMANENT BOOK New York

 

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