N2EXISTENCE GENESIS

N2EXISTENCE GENESIS

March 6 -
May 9, 2021

A new solo exhibition by renowned artist Aaron Fowler running from Saturday, March 6 through Saturday, May 1, 2021.

Opening Reception: March 6th from 7 - 9 pm

Fowler's largest series of projects to date and the first solo presentation in his hometown of St. Louis, N2EXISTENCE GENESIS is the birth of a movement that the artist has been working to manifest for years through the evolution of his practice.

The Luminary, in collaboration with the STLMade movement, is pleased to present N2EXISTENCE GENESIS, a new solo exhibition by renowned artist Aaron Fowler running from Saturday, March 6 through Saturday, May 1, 2021.

In the words of poet Monique Mitchell, “N2EXISTENCE is a haven and a heaven in the heart of St. Louis – a portal to a world in which dreams are made manifest and everything glows, despite the darkness.” Its introduction to the world is the culmination of a yearlong residency at The Luminary in which the artist has lived and worked within the space, transforming it with his distinct vision.

For the series of projects, Fowler has been practicing speaking a new future into existence, as an aspiration of hope, for himself and his city in this pivotal moment that is charged with trauma. For Fowler, N2EXISTENCE is "a movement to create cultural change, inspiring people to use their passions to manifest new realities of freedom.”Collaborating with other local creators, such as a lingerie entrepreneur who champions the feminine form, to a sneaker connoisseur who tells stories through fashion, to installing the first Trap Church as an ode to Gucci Mane, Fowler has transformed a local storefront on Cherokee Street into dream spaces where creators can share their wildest visions with their community.

The final exhibition at The Luminary, N2EXISTENCE GENESIS is an amalgamation of all the movement’s past contributors. Upon walking into the gallery, viewers are met with clouds containing each of the creators’ dream worlds, forming a collective heaven – a collective hope. “This act of creating and sharing is a rebellion. A revolution. A joyful noise,” in the words of Mitchell. The full gallery installation is an immersive world of the artist’s making, activated by a close and talented group of collaborators and creators. The exhibition will be accompanied by also accompanied by socially distanced block parties for the opening on March 6, “314 Day” on March 14, March 20 and Earth Day on April 22.

Reserve a slot here.

The exhibition will be viewable during The Luminary’s open hours Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment with full COVID-19 protocols in place.

N2EXISTENCE GENESIS, the N2EXISTENCE storefront at 2834 Cherokee, and a planned mural in Carr Square are all part of The Luminary's year-long residency with Aaron Fowler, presented in collaboration with the STLMade movement. The project’s lead creator, Aaron Fowler worked in intimate collaboration with content creators and curators Eyob Tilahun, Errol Isom, Karl Lewis and Traci Petty, with The Luminary’s curator Katherine Simóne Reynolds, director James McAnally and manager Kalaija Mallery.