Reid Stowe | Oceanic Feeling
ON VIEW
March 23-April 16, 2023
RECEPTION
Thursday, March 23, 6-8pm
LOCATION
413 West Broadway
New York, NY
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William Reid Stowe (born. 1952) is a multi-disciplinary artist who explores intricate geometric collage compositions and brilliantly painted color works. Stowe has been in and about the New York art scene since the late 1970s where he rubbed shoulders with his influential artist friends in the East Village, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, who painted his portrait of Stowe as a gift in 1985. In addition to his artistic accomplishments, he has been a lifelong sailor, having logged 1,152 non-stop days at sea (including many other trips) circumnavigating the globe.
In a 1927 letter to Sigmund Freud, Romain Rolland coined the phrase "oceanic feeling" to refer to "a sensation of 'eternity'", a feeling of "being one with the external world as a whole." According to psychoanalytic theory, this feeling originates in the earliest period of life, before the infant is aware of the outside world or the distinction between the ego and nonego.
Chase Contemporary gallery is pleased to present its first solo show with abstract painter and seafarer Reid Stowe. Stowe, a native of coastal North Carolina, is both a navigator, polar explorer, yogi, father, and creator of works of art that encapsulate the 71 year journey of his fascinating life. The paintings, with their spiritual and primitive influences, are heavily textured and organic in appearance. The exhibition, featuring mostly medium and large scale works, marks Stowe’s first solo New York exhibition and will open on March 23rd from 6-8pm at 413 West Broadway.
Reid Stowe is a multi-disciplinary artist who explores intricate geometric collage compositions and brilliantly painted color works. Stowe has been in and about the New York art scene since the late 1970s where he rubbed shoulders with his influential artist friends in the East Village, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, who painted his portrait of Stowe as a gift in 1985. In addition to his artistic accomplishments, he has been a lifelong sailor, having logged 1,152 non-stop days at sea (including many other trips) circumnavigating the globe. Stowe used this time at sea to meditate and create genre defying works of art.
The works being displayed at Chase Contemporary will include rich textural works with fabric and weathered materials, many of which incorporate the sails from his numerous ocean explorations. Many paintings date back to his formative years painting in New York in the late 1970s. Easily moving between fluorescent colors and dense layers of black & white geometric patterns, Stowe brings to the canvas creations that have an almost hypnotic yet soothing effect on the observer. Some works include navigational charts and reference materials that defined his maritime accomplishments. Stowe’s adventures garnered the attention of NASA and behavioral scientists who are fascinated by the endurance stamina of his solitary existence and its implications for future interplanetary exploration.
