Artist Justin Bowles has transformed the Beverly and Sam Ross Gallery at Christian Brothers University into Temple of the Cha-Cha-Hua, a fantasy environment that will hopefully speak to a sacred space inside each of us: the essence of our childhood dreams.
Justin Bowles says that the primary inspiration for this installation was her 2015 trip to Mexico City. Once inside the temple-like space, the viewer may explore several elements of the space. In one corner is the Sparkle Mystery Garden, full of strange plants, insects, and animals. In the center of the space is a reflecting pool made of paper, inhabited by plastic flamingos and water plants, also made of paper. This pool leads up to the central piece of the installation, a large sculpture of a Chihuahua puppy. Paper vines tumble down from the windows that line the top of two walls in the space. Viewers are invited to sit on benches in the space and reflect.
Justin Autumn Bowles was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and currently lives in Memphis. She received a BA in English and a BFA in sculpture from the University of Kansas, and an MFA from Memphis College of Art. Bowles has most recently exhibited around Memphis and regionally at Dixon Gallery and Gardens, the University of Mississippi, and in a group traveling show by Arkansas artists called "Abstract Art." She has produced public art with the Downtown Memphis Commission, was one of five inaugural Community Supported Artists featured by ArtsMemphis, and an NEA Southern Constellations Fellowship nominee.
August 7 - September 11, 2019
Artist's Reception: Friday, August 23, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
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