Andrea Bowers
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Biography
Born 1965 in Wilmington, OH
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CAOver the last 20 years Andrea Bowers has gained an international reputation as an artist and social activist. For Bowers, political engagement and artistic expression are inseparable. Her practice, which includes drawings, videos and installations, addresses a wide range of relevant socio-political issues from women’s and worker’s rights and the arms industry, to immigration politics and the climate crisis. Storytelling is integral to the work, and part of her activism consists of highlighting the narratives of resistance and rebellion.
Bowers has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (2024); Galleria d’Arte Moderna Milano in collaboration with Fondazione Furla, Milan (2022); The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2022); Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (2021/2022); Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach (2020); Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst, Bremen (2019/2020); Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (2017); Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton, Paris (2014); Wiener Secession, Vienna (2007); and The Power Plant, Toronto (2007). Bowers has exhibited internationally in biennials and major institutional group exhibitions, including Kunstmuseum Bonn (2023); Hayward Gallery, London (2023); Kunstmueum Ravensburg (2023); Kuntsmuseum Wolfsburg (2022); Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2022); Berkeley Art Museum (2021); Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2021); Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf (2020); Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt (2018); Documenta 14, Fridericianum, Kassel (2017); Triennale Milano, Milan (2017); Aspen Art Museum (2016); and Albertina, Vienna (2015). Bowers’ work is held in the collections of The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; MoMA, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Museum Of Contemporary Art, Chicago, among others.
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Works
Andrea Bowers
Beloved Community (Quote by Martin Luther King, Jr), 2023Neon68 x 90 x 5.5 cm
26.8 x 35.4 x 2.2 inchesEdition of 3 + 1 APB-ABOWERS-.23-0008Andrea Bowers frequently incorporates slogans into her works, drawing from grassroots activism and protest movements to amplify voices of resistance. Inspired by the cinematic aesthetics of American urban landscapes, particularly...Andrea Bowers frequently incorporates slogans into her works, drawing from grassroots activism and protest movements to amplify voices of resistance. Inspired by the cinematic aesthetics of American urban landscapes, particularly the allure of neon signs, Bowers merges the energy of cityscapes with the urgent messages of activism.
By transforming these vibrant urban symbols into striking neon artworks, she preserves their immediacy while elevating them as enduring symbols of rebellion and cultural resonance.
‘Beloved Community’ references a quote from MLK containing two simple words that embrace the basic human necessity for democracy and love. Created for the joint exhibition with Mary Weatherford titled ‘Drink The Wild Air’, the neon work is characteristic of the artist’s use of activist slogans and signage to engage with narratives of resistance and rebellion. Her practice, which includes drawings, videos and installations, addresses a wide range of relevant sociopolitical issues from women’s and worker’s rights and the arms industry, to immigration politics and the climate crisis.Exhibitions
The Body as Sign, Kunstmuseum Mülheim an der Ruhr, 23.02. – 07.09.2025
Andrea Bowers and Mary Weatherford, Drink the Wild Air, Capitain Petzel, Berlin, 2023Publications
Drink the Wild Air - Andrea Bowers and Mary Weatherford, exhibition catalogue Capitain Petzel, Berlin 2023.NewsExhibitionsExternal ExhibitionsPressPublicationsVideo