Jonathan Owen’s art-making practice harnesses the power of reduction to reveal the essence of an artwork. Using a basic eraser, he makes two-dimensional “carvings” into preexisting photographs published in books. His work, which has been described as a kind of “elegant vandalism,” is both transformative and subtractive; it contains palimpsests and traces but no definitive evidence of the original images. Owen also incises already formed three-dimensional statues, bringing out the latent abstract forms and negative space within.
Recent exhibitions include: The Scottish Endarkenment , Dovecot, Edinburgh, 2016; Head to Head , Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, 2015; GENERATION: 25 Years of Contemporary Art in Scotland , Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, 2014; Urban / Suburban , City Art Centre, Edinburgh, 2014; Reclaimed: The Second Life of Sculpture, Glasgow International, The Briggait, Glasgow, 2013; and, personal, political, mysterious , The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, USA. Owen was born in Liverpool in 1973 and graduated from Edinburgh College of Art MFA in 2000. He currently lives and works in Edinburgh.