Kirk Gower is a visual artist and painter with a strong interest in portraiture. Originally from the Sunshine Coast, Kirk currently resides on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples (Vancouver BC). He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University. Recent exhibitions include the Seymour Art Gallery, Kariton Art Gallery, and was an artist with Vancouver Mural Festival. His work has been featured in various publications including Create Magazine, Visionary Magazine, and Suboart Magazine.

Kirk explores markers of identity in his work. The paintings he creates often begin as sumptuous, highly rendered oil paint portraits. He then adds various decorative elements to convey meanings and emotions he associates with the figure. This often results in dreamlike or surrealist imagery. Despite painting in a realistic style, the compositions Kirk creates are highly contrived and typically include many references mashed together. Although it’s not always obvious, he often inserts clues alluding to this, such as a shadow cast in the wrong direction.

Kirk’s work explores how different artistic techniques create different responses from the viewer. He is interested in the way oil paint can both seduce and repulse the viewer. He is fascinated by this push and pull and the teetering of this invisible line. He likes to simultaneously elevate the portraits he creates and subvert them using the same material. At the core of Kirk’s practice is a reminder to the viewer that what they are seeing is fabricated and that images all around us are manipulated.