Machine Vision Artist Feature: Drew Nikonowicz
MACHINE VISION
March 3 – April 29, 2023
Join Candela Gallery over the next few weeks as we feature artists from Machine Vision, a survey of tech-based photographic works: Michael Borowski, Kurt Caviezel, Adam Chin, Rashed Haq, Noelle Mason, Drew Nikonowicz, Maija Tammi, and Corinne Vionnet.
DREW NIKONOWICZ
Blue Virgin, 2021. C2013-08-17 08:30:24 PM 38°36'26.75" N 090°25'46.74" W 00584. Archival Pigment Print, 12 x 15 inches, Unframed. Edition 1 of 10. $450. INQUIRE >
In the back gallery of Machine Vision, Drew Nikonowicz presents a formulaic grid of monochromatic landscapes from his series, This World and Others Like It.
Nikonowicz weaves together conventional photographs, screen grabs from video games, and computer generated imagery, giving each finished piece the same treatment. The resulting network of varied images reads like a set of movie stills or clues to a riddle, distorting the viewer's understanding of reality.
2015-02-17 07:59:02 PM 38°56'34.84" N 092°19'21.28" W 00767. Archival Pigment Print, 12 x 15 inches, Unframed. Edition 5 of 10. $450. INQUIRE >
2012-05-01 04:59:27 PM 38°59'08.83" N 092°22'47.89" W 00741. Archival Pigment Print, 12 x 15 inches, Unframed. Edition 2 of 10. $450. INQUIRE >
This World and Others Like It investigates the role of the 21st century explorer by combining computer modeling with analogue photographic processes. Drawing upon the language of 19th Century survey images, I question their relationship with current methods of record making. Thousands of explorable realities exist through rover and probe based imagery, virtual role-playing, and video game software.
Within the contemporary wilderness, robots have replaced photographers as mediators producing images completely dislocated from human experience. This suggests that now the sublime landscape is only accessible through the boundaries of technology.
2015-03-31 09:40:56 PM 38°36'27.71" N 090°25'47.38" W 00856. Archival Pigment Print, 12 x 15 inches, Unframed. Edition 1 of 10. $450. INQUIRE >
2016-10-24 05:44:24 AM 44°09'08.99” N 012°51'56.48” E 00019. Archival Pigment Print, 12 x 15 inches, Unframed. Edition 2 of 10. $450. INQUIRE >
ABOUT DREW
Drew Nikonowicz (born in St. Louis Missouri, 1993) earned a BFA from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2016. His work employs analog photography, computer simulations, Community-building, 3D printing, Raspberry Pi’s, open-source software, and more to address exploration and collaboration in contemporary culture.
He has exhibited nationally and internationally. In 2015 he received the Aperture Portfolio Prize and the Lenscratch Student Prize. In 2017 Nikonowicz completed a one-year residency at Fabrica Research Centre. His first photobook, This World and Others Like It, was co-published by Yoffy Press and FW:Books in 2019. It was awarded Jurors' Special Mention at the 2019 Paris Photo/Aperture Foundation Photobook Awards.
Drew uses he/him pronouns, believes strongly that black lives matter, that trans rights are human rights, and that we should reallocate police funds. Empathy over understanding, y’all. He can be found hanging out with artists in his Community Discord, making art in his studio, and live-streaming art & games on Twitch from Northwest Arkansas. There he is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Arkansas.
