Own Alone starts with text. The title and inspiration of Owen Fu's show at P.P.O.W is Pai Hsien-yung’s 1983 novel Crystal Boys, what is known as the first Chinese novel to center on themes of homosexuality. As the gallery notes, "the story follows an adolescent boy’s journey to find a new home within the underground gay community of Taiwan after being cast out by his own family. Interweaving motifs from Hsien-yung’s novel with Fu’s own experiences of alienation and immigration from China to the United States, the exhibition combines Eastern and Western painting traditions and art historical tropes to create uncanny compositions in which amorphous figures with no place to call their own flow through crowds, cruising spots under the shadows of park trees, and neon lit misty saunas, to seek connection, solace, and sanctuary."
Though muted in tones, Fu has a unique way of capturing human emotions and social dynamics through vibrant paintings. Muted vibrancy, if you could call it that. Owen’s art often reflects on themes like identity and memory, turning everyday moments into powerful stories. Domestic scenes become dissolving memoires. You can't help but feel engaged and drawn into whatever scene he’s depicting because you are uncertain of its origins but familiar with their structure. This feels like the beginning of a major rise in the young artist's career. —Evan Pricco
