Artist Bio
Artist Bio:
S. Elliot Bowers resides in Chicago, IL. They are in their fourth year as a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts and have three more years until completion. Bowers received their Master of Fine Arts from Northern Illinois University in 2019. Bowers received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2016. Bowers is currently working on a dissertation about polyphonic gender and challenging Judith Butler's performativity theory. They are the co-founder of UnPacked Mobile Gallery and Dispatch Mobile Gallery. Bowers exhibits a keen interest in fostering the growth of emerging artists while also advocating for cultural diversity and underrepresented artists. Bowers is a transgender artist who depicts a creator in a sociopolitical culture currently under threat and oppression due to misinformation about the transgender community.
Artist Statement
S. Elliot Bowers investigates philosophical concepts such as the transindividual, transhuman, and transcendental. Bowers explores the concept of "the other," which serves as a bridge to "the unknown," resulting in connection with transindividual persons and transhumans, synthesizing the illusion of absolute identity. This inquiry aims to propose a typology that promotes the idea of a society beyond gender or sex identification. This compilation showcases a subset of their research papers, carefully chosen to provide insight into their academic endeavors. And categorization in social, political, and cultural settings. In this series, Bowers carefully evaluates the current discussions around sex and gender identity, proposing an effective approach to acknowledging gender identity that involves comprehending its multifaceted nature. Bowers depicts the laborious processes involved in researching and making art from the perspective of an artist, writer, and researcher