Now Showing: Works by Charlie Bidwell and Samantha Magowan at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park
June 30, 2010
CHARLESTON, SC – June 30, 2010 – The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents Now Showing: Works by Charlie Bidwell and Samantha Magowan at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park. The public is invited to the opening reception in honor of the artists, on Saturday, July 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. Sponsored by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, Now Showing: Works by Charlie Bidwell and Samantha Magowan was curated by Chris Davis, a Charleston native and Los Angeles resident and co-curated by Erin Glaze, the City Gallery at Waterfront Park Coordinator. Now Showing: Works by Charlie Bidwell and Samantha Magowan will be on display through Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010.
Now Showing: Works by Charlie Bidwell and Samantha Magowan features the work of Los Angeles-based artists, Charlie Bidwell and Samantha Magowan. Samantha Magowan transforms herself in installations that are saturated with bright colors, psychedelic patterns and angles that create optical illusions. Photographer Charlie Bidwell utilizes an unusual amount of negative space, providing the viewer with a different viewpoint of the monumental architecture and billboards which dominate the American landscape. In their work, both artists reflect the influence and side-effects of living in an environment saturated with stuff and how it affects the eyes and minds of artists living in L.A.
The exhibit is open July 17 to Aug. 29, 2010. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 12noon to 5 p.m.
Samantha Magowan was born in London, England. She received her BA in Art from the University of Minnesota and her MFA from Art Center in Los Angeles in 2007. Working in a wide range of mediums and materials, Magowan uses photography, painting, and installation to create colorful and strange worlds where nature and artifice playfully collide. Magowan has exhibited her work extensively throughout the United States and internationally and was recently included in the upcoming publication, ArtNow: New Faces of American Art. She is represented by Annarumma 404 in Naples, Italy. Magowan currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
Charlie Bidwell is self-taught fine art photographer based in Los Angeles. The focus of his photography is the iconic architectural structures located around the world, as well as some of the remaining Americana roadside attractions from the 50s and 60s. Charlie incorporates a minimal, negative space approach to the majority of his photographs, primarily in the black and white form. Color is used in a small portion of Charlie’s work, primarily within his series of neon roadside signs. Charlie’s photographs have been exhibited in the U.S. and Europe for the past 15 years. His latest exhibition occurred at the Galleria Philarmarino in Naples, Italy, in June of 2009, along with permanent installations at several Ralph Lauren stores and W Hotels, around the world. Charlie also has also developed a line of consumer products, incorporating his photographs within the designs of each product. Currently a line of 12 greeting cards has been developed, along with a line of high end men’s and women’s tee shirts. Charlie is represented by Guy Hepner Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and June Bateman Gallery, New York.
City Gallery at Waterfront Park
The City Gallery at Waterfront Park, owned by the City of Charleston and operated by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, is a venue for contemporary artwork that is new, vital and innovative, with a focus on broadening Charleston’s arts outlook. The City Gallery provides access to the visual arts for everyone in Charleston, S.C., visitors and residents alike, by offering exhibits that are all admission-free. The City Gallery is located at 34 Prioleau St. in downtown Charleston, S.C., and gallery hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 12noon to 5 p.m. For more information, please call or e-mail the City Gallery at (843) 958-6484 or [email protected] and visit www.charlestonarts.sc.
