Brent Houzenga
Brent Houzenga. “Face Yourself” (photo © courtesy of Pawn Works)
Five years ago, artist Brent Houzenga’s life was altered dramatically when he stumbled across a pair of antique photo albums from the 1890’s in the discarded trash of others. Since that discovery Houzenga has amassed an extensive body of work, attempting to bring these lost souls back to life through abstract painting and stencil work using vibrant colors and his own unique action painting techniques. Often displaying his subjects on re-purposed window frames suggests the antiquity of the subjects in his paintings as well as the rural and rustic background of this self-described ‘Prairie Pirate’. Working on the reverse side of the glass, painting backwards and tirelessly scraping away existing layers of paint to create new marks, Houzenga pays homage to those he renders. Many subjects remain unscathed peaking out of chaotic abstraction while others are altered entirely.
With his new show “Remixed Remains” Houzenga experiments with scrawling over the rendered photos leaving insignia and other messages for the viewer to ponder, all part of an installation transforming the space into a post punk Victorian funhouse. Remixed Remains will serve as a celebration of the painting and exhibiting over the last five years. For the artist, what once was classic is now revamped like a stolen bass line or punk cover with a little more class; splattered all over.
Brent Houzenga ‘Remixed Remains’
Opening Reception will be on Saturday September 3, 2011 from 7-10pm
Show runs until October 2.
Pawn Works | 1050 N. Damen Ave. Chicago, IL 60622
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
We're excited to introduce the inaugural Martha Cooper Scholarship (MCS), celebrating Martha Cooper's legacy in capturing human cultures through photography. This scholarship presents a unique ch...
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week, where New York keeps pushing forward through this stormy winter – although the amount of new street art and graffiti dissipates this time of year as artists sta...
Birmingham, Englands’ Lucy McLauchlin carries the patterns and textures of natural forms in her mind and her paint brushes wherever she goes. In this new mural on a pebbledash wall in London, her ong...
"Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable." - Cesar A. Cruz Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! The fog of war obscures our vision, confuses our thoughts, and s...
Basik. La danza di San Michele (Saint Michael’s dance). Paderno d’Adda, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist) "La danza di San Michele" (Saint Michael's Dance) is a captivating mural composition by...