Deborah Bowness
Diana’s recent post on Kiki Smith’s Maiden and Moonflower at Studio Printworks and RL’s post from a few months ago about Mark Mothersbaugh are strong evidence of the exciting resurgence of wallpaper in the past few years. But Smith and Mothersbaugh are artists who gained their reputation in other mediums and came later to wallpaper design. I thought maybe we should spotlight an artist whose primary focus is and has been wallpaper.
Deborah Bowness‘ wallpaper involves hand-printed (and some digital) trompe l’oeil patterns. Bowness, a British designer, has gained wide recognition for her work- a google search of her name turns up tons of references. She uses fine art print language and merges it with the sensibility of interior design. Not surprisingly, I think some of the pieces are of more interest to printmakers and others to interior designers. “Genuine Fake Bookshelf” and “Filing” are two that work well in gallery or home.
One of the important things about Bowness’ work and the current wallpaper renaissance is that it underscores the potential for functionality in the print world. While there is always a place for framed prints, there’s also plenty of room for print that breaks beyond the construct of the frame and exists in real space.
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Great post! Her work is red hot.