Aaron Fowler: RELEASE

“When I am tested, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10 

Anton Kern Gallery is pleased to announce RELEASE, the second exhibition by Aaron Fowler at the gallery, and his first at 16 East 55th Street in New York. The exhibition features five large-scale paintings, two sculptural works, and a suite of works on paper. 

RELEASE is both a mirror of Fowler’s transfiguration, and an invitation for audiences to let go of what no longer serves them, so they too may be transformed. 

The exhibition takes its title from a family ritual: the release of balloons to honor the passing of loved ones. The largest work in the show, Family Release, a thirty-six foot long painting, depicts a large group during this act, anchoring the exhibition in a gesture that becomes a structure through which Fowler explores mourning, remembrance, and transformation. 

Re-approaching work that began in an unhealed space during the height of the pandemic, Fowler uses found materials: grief, childhood trauma, recycled car parts, clothing, and household items, to reassemble both himself and his compositions. Through the process of examining and excavating his own internal landscape, Fowler seeks to inspire audiences to release a cry that has been suppressed for too long, clearing space for vulnerability, sharing, and connection. 

Fowler’s collection is a reminder that release is a prerequisite for growth. Only when our storage is emptied can we create space for Beauty to take root and thrive. 

This is not a story of trauma. This is a story of alchemy. A story of hope. A story of healing. RELEASE is a reminder that even the heaviest burdens can become as light as balloons when we choose to let go. Fowler’s latest collection frames this process not as an ending, but as an opening: a space in which grief and reflection give way to realignment and renewal. 

Text by Monique Mitchell