Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Bowman.
Daniel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I graduated from UCLA in 2012. Studied photography & sculpture. Began organizing shows with a partner, Spencer Gauthier, in a pop-up manner. Found spaces on Craigslist, & through friends of friends. Once you have one show in an odd or unlikely space, people come out of the woodwork offering you bizarre accommodations. Worked for several artists part-time, put all of my money back into curating & acquiring spaces for short time frames. We probably did about 5 or 6 of these types of exhibitions. Very performative on our part, & critical of the role of curator/dealer.
In 2014, I was hired full-time to photograph and sell vintage watches for a living. This cements a steady flow of income & we get a small Gallery space in Beverly Hills on South Beverly Drive.
In 2015, we open Egyptian Art & Antiques. It is a small, maybe 250 sq. ft. space on the 2nd floor of a nondescript office building. Our neighbors are limousine services & weird sellers of grey-market objects/artifacts. We stage several group shows & one-person exhibitions. Highlights include a show called “Tiny Masters”, where every piece was under 12 inch by 12 inch by 12 inch. (But they really weren’t) A two-person show with Conrad Ruiz & Hayley Barker. A conspiracy-laden group show that featured a raid and our physical arrest by fake FBI agents, who dragged us out during the opening, & threw us into a white panel van. A solo exhibition by Lena Wolek featuring a 3-ft. singing ceramic doll.
In 2017, with a new partner, Max Schwartz, we start Bozo Mag. We have the desire to jump from space to space, with the intent of not renting a permanent location. Back to the pop-up aesthetic. We start off with a great show in a 1930’s era house in the swirly mountain streets of Benedict Canyon. (that could only be reached by mini-van valet!) This exhibition features Amy Bessone, Namio Harukawa (google his work!), Joshua Miller, Daniel Gibson, Eva Sealove, Hayley Barker & Vanessa Conte. Other Highlights include an exhibition on a hillside of a mountain in Montecito Heights with the artist, Elizabeth Ahn’s sculptures. An exhibition in the basement of a church that is retro-fitted to look like a speak-easy with artworks by Cyril Kuhn & a day-long performance by Akina Cox in the Old Zoo section of Griffith Park.
In early 2019, through a series of great meetings & connections, Bozo Mag’s first permanent space opens! Built out with the help of painter & master-builder, Alexander Meadows, a new era is upon us! At the time of writing, we have just finished our first exhibition, a series of new paintings by Kara Joslyn (a show several years in the making!) & have opened an exhibition by Adam Rabinowitz.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, but that is okay. I think all is well now.
What else should our readers know?
Bozo Mag is an art gallery that is located in Los Angeles.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I was born in Los Angeles, went to UCLA, & was hired immediately by LA-based artists after undergrad. It is what I know. I like the shape-shifting nature of LA. It is expansive & there is so much to find.
Contact Info:
- Address: Bozo Mag is located at 815 Cresthaven Drive, LA, CA 90042
- Website: bozomag.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bozomag/
Image Credit:
Bozo Mag/Maxwell Schwartz/Ruth Nemet/Serge Hoeltschi/Walker Olesen
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