When looking at artist Justin Bower’s portraits, your first thought will be that your computer is messing up. When you look closer, you’ll see the brushstrokes and realize these gorgeous portraits weren’t created using a machine.
Bower intentionally focuses on a destabilized representation of his subjects. His portraits really pack a pixelated punch with vibrant colors and larger-than-life canvases.
Bower describes his paintings as a reflection on the decoding of human bodies confronting our inner identity.
share
“What are we? Am I a code that can be reduced and multiplied infinitely?”
share
Bower uses familiar patterns from the 60s as the foundation for the faces.
share
His hope is that viewers will feel the instability and awaken from their “techno slumber.”
share
His art questions whether our “free will” in minimized by our dependence on technology.
share
He explained in an interview that he isn’t an alarmist, but that he “always want the decisions we make within this system of technology to be ours, and free.”
share
Bower often uses canvases measuring 11 feet high, filling it with incredible detail.
share
His ultimate question is whether humanity and technology can really coexist.
share
(via Visual News.)
This definitely makes you think about how often we grab for our phone and devices throughout the day. You can find more of Justin Bower’s stunning work on his website.
