Brisbane-born artist Shane Bowden is a ball of energy. Arriving at his massive studio space off Prospect Avenue, a host of entrepreneurs and PR representatives occupy his attention. His pieces, seemingly all of which possess vibrant, nearly Day-Glo neon paints – reflect the Aussie’s high-speed mannerisms and colorful personality. Once he gains some space, he sets out two clear plastic stacking chairs. Bowden has a terrific sense of humor, which is also prevalent in most of his work.
“This whole area is going to be a retail space soon,” said Bowden of the entry way to his gallery. “My studio is out on Morena Boulevard, and is damn near the same size, if not bigger.” He currently lives in Point Loma, and has operated from his current gallery space for one year (his previous location was on Herschel Avenue). While pop art often denotes mass-production of ironic, yet highly-recognizable staples of our society, Bowden’s work is quite personal and unique. One of the first pieces to catch one’s eye is a psychedelic interpretation of the Rorschach test. Other pieces depict the infamous Muhammad Ali pose, standing tall above the invisible Sonny Liston (while donning Mickey Mouse gloves and ears), or perhaps Bowden’s bestseller, which is a pink neon interpretation of a Chanel fragrance bottle. While the Bowden Gallery on 7655 Girard Avenue is set up as a retail space for the artist himself, he has partnered with millennial-based Millionaire San Diego and The Make-A-Wish Foundation to host a fundraiser on Friday, Feb. 24. “The folks from Make-A-Wish reached out to me, and I found it to be a tremendous pairing,” said Bowden. “For the event, I’ve created an exclusive line of 10 pieces, of which all proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.”
Millionaire San Diego was founded by 24-year-old entrepreneur Ethan Lu, and is a “millennial-Based” luxury lifestyle brand with a focus on philanthropy. Lu saw a need that, despite the popular view of millennials as narcissistic and lackadaisical, most consider themselves social activists. “Millionaire bridges the gap for well-connected millennials who have an interest in luxury living and social good,” said Lu. “A lot of millennials want to give back but haven’t found the right outlet to do so. With our mission in hosting social charity events and giving back, Millionaire San Diego connects both of those interests.”
Art is typically expensive, with an argument that the piece purchased, albeit at a hefty cost, is seen as an “investment.” Although Bowden celebrates international acclaim, with galleries in Japan and China, he is selling each piece at the event for a cool $300 to $400. Bowden’s view on pricing for the event, and in general, is quite simple. “My aim is to produce unique, cool and affordable pieces,” he says. “We had another show planned rather close to this one, but decided that this would best serve the community.”
After hosting this party, Bowden will be transitioning the entryway of his space into a retail area – for he has enough room to do so. Here, he will have a vast array of memorabilia with some of his best-known works. For more information, visit www.shanebowden.com, or call 858-729-9880.