ROY DOWELL: Evidence to the Contrary

Roy Dowell's solo exhibition _Evidence to the Contrary_, showcases twenty-five new single format works composed of vinyl emulsion on linen over panels. The works are meditations on Dowell's personal cabinet of curiosities, his memory of objects, and living between Mexico City and Los Angeles. Dowell is drawn to this specific medium because it allows each layer of the painting to remain fully visible. By eliminating the concealment typical of the creative process, the work achieves a transcendence of time. While each work shares the same dimensions at twenty-four by eighteen inches, the only other unifying feature that links them is Dowell's artistic intent. He approaches the creation of each work as an individual, self determining endeavor; resulting in a unique, precious object. Dowell shares in the essay, "An Inventory of Desire" by Geun-jun Chungwoo-Michael Lim, that he prefers to allow the viewer to have an active part in "decoding, deciphering and dismantling the work." He doesn't think of this as "coyness, but a refusal to steer." Dowell continues to note how his work has become more self-referential; "I am now more frequently quoting myself, revisiting ideas and themes from previous works. I have realized that ideas and motifs are not "used up" if I have only used them once, and that frequently what I see as a similarity between works is often not seen this way by others at all. I think that this approach to working has helped create a sense of generosity in my work." Dowell would like the viewer to locate themselves in his paintings. This exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated printed catalogue with an essay by writer Geun-jun Chungwoo-Michael Lim.