Koda Bowers

Personal Journalism

2D Studio Art: Printmaking

Home for me is a small town where everyone follows the Republican stereotype: gun-loving, homophobic, racist rednecks. I was told how to use a gun at the age of 12. I was taught that women were supposed to serve men. My family believed that evolution was false. Then I started going to college, away from my hometown. I was exposed to scientific methods and democratic processes. I began to understand the social conditions that impacted school shootings, immigration, and abortion rights. I began to question myself and both of the sides I had been exposed to. Where did I fit? What do I believe? This body of work presents my answers to questions about contemporary political issues. As new situations arise, I often have to choose a side. Sometimes it is on my Republican family’s side, and others is on my friend’s Democratic side.

Since I work at a grocery store, I often overhear people’s opinions about the news. Because the store is in my hometown, a majority of the information is about how COVID-19 is a conspiracy, the 2020 Presidential election was rigged, and how expensive ammo is. However, once I come to school for classes, I hear about people advocating for a 15 dollars an hour minimum wage, promoting social services, presenting government as a solution to problems, and taking away guns. I go between these two worlds, and I become confused. I am surrounded by people in my life that have become my role models and friends, but I now see them as characters in this world I live in. The stereotypes of what side they support become evident, and in my work for this thesis exhibition, I depict people with these qualities. I have portrayed people from my hometown as rednecks with buck teeth making outlandish claims about politics. I have also been “cancelled” in arguments with liberals who won’t listen to any opposing opinion. I don’t know where I stand in these groups, so I research further by listening to the two sides and reviewing media in order to form my own opinion. This research informs my art. I call this process “personal journalism.” My pieces are typically serious, occasionally with humor tied in as a way for me to deal with the confusion, and the seriousness of the issues.

My approach is informed by several artists. Ai Wei Wei is an artist I was introduced to in my first year of college. I was drawn to Wei Wei’s passion for his work. He bravely questioned the Chinese government and was put under house arrest, yet he still continued his work. I have the passion, but I do not have the same bravery as Wei Wei. However, I am attempting to push myself to be more courageous like him. Jenny Holzer is another artist I admire, using language in a way that is sculptural at times. Holzer chooses to write about heavy topics and project them onto buildings in order to reach the broader public. This informs my interest in printmaking and the use of the multiple. Another artist influencing me is Nancy Spero, who utilized the printed multiple. Spero, draws from women’s history to inform contemporary subjects. My favorite artist, Felix Gonzalez Torres, also utilized the multiple. For example in his piece Untitled (Death by Gun), Torres produced a stack of paper that depicted victims of gun violence. Visitors were encouraged to take a copy home. I drew inspiration from Torres and his utilization of the multiple, as well as his inclusion of the audience’s participation.

This thesis, “personal journalism,” takes the form of prints because of their democratic history. Because of this feature, the history of printmaking is strongly tied with political events. While I work through understanding my space in the political climate, I see it as my duty to record these events, not only for me, but for others to come.