Spenser Bower

Spenser Bower is a visual artist, working primarily in oil paint from Des Moines, Iowa. He currently lives in Chicago, IL. His paintings are a kaleidoscopic exploration of queer joy and nostalgia.

Bower’s body of work includes depictions of many queer spaces such as Chicago’s Hollywood Beach, Boystown nightclubs, and the shaded poolsides of Palm Springs. These paintings give the viewer the impression of having been painstakingly copied as a means of edifying the tender moments of youth so that they may transcend the brief portion of time they had originally inhabited.

Bower attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 2021. His inspirations include Doron Langburg, David Hockney, and Jenny Morgan. His works have been exhibited at Var Gallery, Art Space Chicago, The Milwaukee Art Museum, The Purple Window Gallery, and most recently, Union Street Gallery.


Artist Statement

I’ve always wished for the power to freeze time. My art captures the golden ephemeral moments of vibrant youth in tableau. I draw inspiration from Chicago’s frenetic energy, especially its iconic gay scene. My work is meant to elicit the melancholic joy of a remembered summer afternoon. Though each of these vignettes, in reality, may have only lasted an instant, they will now live on long after I am no longer here to remember them.


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