Group Exhibitions:Commodified, Vegas Institute for Contemporary Engagement, UNLV, Las Vegas || REVIVER, Vegas Institute for Contemporary Engagement, UNLV, Las Vegas || Mineral House Media Group Residency 2019, Fluorescent Gallery, Knoxville, TN
CHATTANOOGA FILM FESTIVAL TROPHY AWARDS
Having worked with the Chattanooga Film Festival since 2016, it was an honor to put my skills to use in creating the audience and filmmaker awards in 2019. Made from VHS tapes and found objects, the awards have an elevated DIY aesthetic, which encapsulates my love for the festival itself.
Aaron Cowan creates sculptural situations, installations, videos and performances that explore contemporary masculine identity and power. Cowan scouts out thrift stores and junk yards, hunting for objects and materials that carry this aura. Reclaiming car parts, broken tools, worn-out work and sports equipment into softer expressions are actions against unsustainable hierarchies of being male. What may appear as celebration are nuanced situations to lift the veil. Fragile attributes are exposed and transformed, highlighting alternative masculine values and means of expression outside the typical restricting mode of "being a man." The work is part seduction, part confrontation, full of excitement and anxiety, like discovering a deep secret or preparing for a rite of passage. Or shaving for the first time.
UNLV 1st YEAR MFA Studio Practice
Aaron Cowan, Fawn Douglas, Erin K. Drew, John McVay, (all Art) have created REVIVER, a new performance art event hosted on the UNLV campus. This recurring event will feature UNLV students and local performers in a university setting. Performance art, which is art that combines visual art with dramatic performance, has a history of being interventionist and innovative. Performance allows artists to broadly experiment with a range of topics, including the body, politics, identity, and play. REVIVER is a new opportunity for practice-based research and a venue adding to the already growing performance art community in Las Vegas. The first event enjoyed a packed house Oct. 23 with performances by the organizers and their guests. More events will follow. Cowan, Douglas, Drew, McVay, and Reese are MFA students.
Mineral House Media Group Residency Exhibition 2019
Fluorescent Gallery, Knoxville, TN
An Intimate Look, 2019
