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Spoke SF is pleased to present Deeds of a Bowerbird, a solo pop-up exhibition by Oakland-based painter Peter Adamyan. The show introduces the artists latest body of work critiques current cultural and political climates.
The artist writes, “My intentions are to have the viewer think about what makes us human, how we are different from other animals on the planet, and how we are the same. How we have lost our connection to the wilderness that has nourished us throughout our evolution and how we could possibly bring some of it back into our lives. Overall I want the viewer to know, that no matter how far we think we have come from our indigenous ancestors, we are not as different from them as we believe we are.”
Please join us for Deeds of a Bowerbird, opening Friday, September 29, with an opening night reception from 6pm - 9pm where the artist will be present. This pop-up exhibition will be on view through Saturday, September 30. For more information or additional images, please email us at SF@spoke-art.com.
Artist:
Peter Adamyan was born and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Growing up around the materialistic and superficial culture ingrained so heavily in the shadow of Hollywood, this served as perfect inspiration and fuel for his inherent aversion to such a consumer obsessed society.
Early on, Adamyan utilized pop-culture imagery as a form of symbolism to comment on society through unlikely narratives. Highly critical of religion, mass consumerism and the general the darker side of human nature, Adamyan's early work strives to raise the questions that no one wants to ask. Displaying clear social critiques through layered imagery, his series touched on everything from the perversions of religion to the racism that has thrived to this day from the colonization of the Americas. Done in a relief style on wood, these works created a collage of imagery to create a larger discussion about our modern world.
After re-locating to an industrial area in Oakland, CA, he found a stark contrast to his suburban upbringing. He also noticed that people used his neighborhood as an illegal dump. Simultaneously at this time, he was spending more time in nature, backpacking, foraging and fishing. These two contrasting worlds inspired his current body of work. Using oil paint and found materials, Adamyan creates work that is nostalgic for a time when people lived more harmoniously with the earth. Through his critical lens, Adamyan’s new series is meant to provoke and prod at our cushy, consumer driven world while pulling inspiration from the natural one. Returning again to recognizable imagery, this work shifts to represent hunter gatherer societies, religious iconography and environmentalists of past and present, thus incorporating an environmental message as well.
SPOKE is an art space specializing in new contemporary painting, sculpture and illustration with an emphasis in accessible programming. Started in 2010, the gallery now houses two locations, one in San Francisco’s Lower Nob Hill neighborhood and one in New York City’s Lower East Side. Each space rotates monthly exhibits that feature a wide variety of solo and group shows, many of which feature an international roster of represented artists.
