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STAN BOWSKI – The Width of a Room – 29 April-23 May, 2025

Elegant and architectural, Stan Bowski’s abstract constructions capture space. Loosely labelled ‘paintings’ the works in The Width of a Room  could be aptly described as wall sculptures.
“The idea of how paintings occupy space became increasingly important as I made these works. The volume within a room, and the space that is displaced by objects, is a vital part of experiencing the art for me. In Japanese culture there is the concept of ‘Ma’ where space is a positive entity rather than just an absence of something physical. My work features apertures, space and planes within constructions of birch ply and my intention is to bring lightness to this rigid material. I enjoy not knowing the way a piece will behave until it is completed and on the wall. Light and shadows are like the final ingredients that bring an element of surprise and fluidity.” 

Impeccably made and subtly painted these works are restrained yet evocative. Bowski’s considered approach is there from the get-go yet he also follows his intuition:
“I try not to consciously think when I’m creating my work. I like to empty my mind as much as possible so my feelings and intuition guide the work. Ideas start as sketches that I make into 3-D models using card. I try out various compositions and play with scale until I have something I’m happy with. Once I get to the stage of making a ply structure and machining the recesses it’s difficult to make changes so I need to feel confident that I’m going in the right direction. I am very aware of the danger of over-complicating my work. I recently read in an Edmund de Waal book ‘beware of the unwarranted gesture’ and although this was said in relation to pottery it does resonant with me.”

Placement 1, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 900 x 900 x 50mm, $3700Placement 2, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 900 x 900 x 50mm, $3700

Highpoint 1, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 750 x 1100 x 50mm, $3700Before Today, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 1000 x 800 x 50mm, $3700Random Order Floor Plan, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 800 x 620mm, $2900

Nothing Cann Come Between Us, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 760 x 515mm, $2600Alone but Moving 3, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 600 x 600 x 50mm, $2400 (SOLD)Inside, Looking Out, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 600 x 600 x 50mm, $2400

More Soul, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 360 x 420mm, (SOLD) More Sail, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 310 x 230mm, $800(SOLD) More Self, by Stan Bowksi, 2025, acrylic paint, wood stain on birch ply, 260 x 210mm, $650

STAN BOWSKI is originally from Brighton, UK and now lives and works in Nelson. He has been a full time artist since 2023.
He constructs 3-dimensional geometric abstract works that are inspired by modernist architecture and man-made structures, notably the work of Japanese architect Tadao Ando. His main artistic influences are minimalists such as Agnes Martin and artists associated with the St Ives school including Patrick Heron and Ben Nicholson. Bowski is also drawn to the American abstract minimalist Donald Judd who described his work as a “simple expression of complex thought”. This sums up how Stan feels about his own art practice. He engages with the juxtaposition of elements such as hard and soft, quiet and dynamic, playful and serious. His work balances a carefully constructed tension using these opposites.
Stan Bowski left school at 17 and worked most of his career as a picture framer and art technician. Through intimate involvement with the art industry over a long period he has refined his skills and develop a personal aesthetic: ‘The friendships and collaborations with artists and galleries have added up to an amazing 40 years of arts education. It’s taken me a long time to realise that I do have something to say through my own art practice.’
In 2024 he exhibited Alone But Moving in the Contemplation Space of the Suter Art Gallery, Nelson; and in 2025 he was a finalist in the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award.