Modern Usage and Material: Art by Jacob Fowler
Inservice-Disservice-Pee Nervous, plywood, red oak, white cement, found plants
Jacob Fowler was born in Denver, Colorado. Now living and working in Los Angeles, the artist creates installations and two-dimensional works that place nature and tradition within a space of modern usage and material.
Many of the artist’s installation works feature components of plywood, found items or cement. I really like Jacob’s use of plywood, in particular. Each time it appears it seems to stand in for the form of a less-processed plant, tree or other form. In one case, foliage and stones are placed near and on-top of plywood, creating a jarring juxtaposition between the natural and the artificially processed.
Jacob's sculptures on his portfolio website
These installations and sculptures seem to directly reference man-made cultural objects – cement blocks are painted with patterns associated with quilts, linoleum floors or mattresses, and wood is arranged in ways that imitate signage or heavy machinery. Jacob’s two-dimensional works also feature plywood and concrete heavily, though these works seem to be more of an exploration of how the two materials work together, in a vacuum.
