"New Line Continued" 2018
Oil on canvas
77' x 101' inches / 196 x 257 cm
William Betts
I use complex industrial processes to create paintings that reflect the possibilities for an analog medium in a digital age. I use highly modified linear motion technology and my own proprietary software, laser engravers, and other computer controlled devices to apply and manipulate paint. My work is typically based on photographic material mediated through technology and process. I use images as data sets to be examined, sampled, re-contextualized, manipulated and represented. I have always been less interested in content and more concerned with the structural and social aspects of the image. My practice is non-linear and I work on several bodies of work and techniques concurrently. They inform each other and also help clarify each other.
We live in a society where there is a continuing erosion of privacy. We move
through spaces with the illusion that are most private conversations and our most intimate contacts and actions are private. On the web, we willingly turn over our most intimate secrets to the world’s largest corporations assuming they will protect us. The ubiquity of surveillance and photography makes me an unwitting character actor in thousands and thousands of CCTV videos and holiday photographs as I traverse a city square or walk through a park. These mediations create a new visual vocabulary I explore in my work. I was originally inspired by the writings of Jeremy Bentham on the Panopticon and Michel Foucault in his work Discipline & Punish. My paintings seek to create dialog and explore the sociological and philosophical implications of these new applied technologies in contemporary society.
Investigations into a time series and the space between what happens and an
investigation into the spaces where there is nothing happening. A beach – where random people gather. A pool where a couple interacts. Ambiguous, Anonymous, Random; the exact opposite of the historical imperative of painting.
In my work I look for the ideal balance between recognition and ambiguity allowing viewers to draw on their own experiences, imagination, and anxieties.
EDUCATION
1991 Arizona State University, Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art - Cum Laude
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017 Holly Johnson Gallery, Dallas
2016 Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York
2015 Kostuik Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2012 Plus Gallery, Denver, CO Robert McClain Gallery, Houston, TX
2011 Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2010 Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery
Houston, TX Kostuik Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York Holly Johnson Gallery, Dallas
2009 Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2008 Kostuik Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
Peter Miller Gallery, Chicago, IL
2007 Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York, NY
Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2006 Anne Reed Gallery, Sun Valley, ID
Peter Miller Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005 Bentley Projects, Phoenix, AZ
Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Plus Gallery, Denver, CO
Gallery deSoto, Los Angeles, CA
Holly Johnson Gallery, Dallas, TX
Thomas Werner Gallery, New York, NY
2004 Poissant O’Neil Gallery, Houston, TX
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2017 Rarity Gallery, Mykonos
2017 Painted Landscapes: Contemporary Views, Heritage Museums&Gardens
Sandwich, MA
2015 Brave New World, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Praha, Czech Republic
2013 Logical Expressions and Variations, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York
2012 Rasterfahndung (Tracing the Grid), Kunstmuseum Stuttgart
Just Not Yet: Dodging the Vacuum of Meaning, Landmark Gallery, Texas Tech University
2011 SUBstainability, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
2010 This is not a photo show, Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, San Antonio
appropriate manipulate duplicate, Gallery Joe, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Landscape Affected, University of Dallas, Haggerty Gallery, Irving, TX
2008 Pixilated, Winston Wachter Fine Art, New York, NY
Invisible Omniscience: Seeing and the Seen, Baltimore Art Place
New American Talent 23, Arthouse, Austin, TX
Re-mix, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York, NY
Group Show, Trinity University, San Antonio, Steven Lam, Curator
Houston Area Show, Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston, Claudia Schmukli, Curator
Under Surveillance, John Michael Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, WI
Group Show, Spur Projects, Portola Valley, CA
Assistance League Celebrates Texas Art 2008. Dr. Kevin Salatino, LACMA Juror
2007 Collectors Gallery, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY
Chill: Summer Group Show, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York
B&W, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, TX
Texas Biennial, Austin, TX
Fab Ab, Salt Lake City Art Center
2006 Watch it! Television’s Influence in Art. State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY
Baroque Visions and Urban Verities: Seven Houston Painters, Blue Star, San Antonio,
curated by Terrie Sultan and Chris French
SUPERvision, Foster Gallery, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
Texas Paint, Part Two: Abstraction, Arlington Museum of Art, curated by Anne Allen
Biennial Southwest, Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque NM, Dr. Neal Benezra, Director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Juror and Curator OPENDraw, OPENSOURCE Art, Champaign, IL
2006 Works on Paper National Competition, Long Beach, New Jersey,
Juror: CarterFoster,
Drawing Curator Whitney Museum of American Art
5 Angles on Abstraction, Addison Arts, Santa Fe Ripped from the Pages, Gallery 125, CACHH, Houston, Texas
Blurring the Line, University of Texas San Antonio, Julie Shipp Curator
Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art, Houston, Jeffrey D. Grove, Curator of Contemporary Art, High Museum of Art Atlanta Juror
2005 New Texas Painting, Diverseworks, Houston
Clothesline Exhibition, the Hospital, Covent Garden, London
Three Landscape Painters, Morgan Lehman Gallery, Lakeville, Connecticut
Incremental Disruption, NAO Gallery, Boston
20 th Annual International Exhibition, University of Texas, Tyler, Texas
Texas Biennial, Austin, Texas
Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art, Houston, Texas, Dominic Molon,
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Curator
DPI:2004 Competition, Kellogg University Art Gallery Cal Poly, Pomona, California
2004 The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston
AWARDS & HONORS
2011 Finalist, Hunting Art Prize
2010 Individual Artist Grant, New Works Fellowship Award, Houston Arts Alliance
Finalist, Hunting Art Prize
2008 Finalist, Hunting Art Prize, First Place, Assistance League Celebrates Texas Art 2008. Dr. Kevin Salatino, Curator of Drawings and Prints LACMA, Juror
2007 Finalist, Hunting Art Prize
2006 Best in Show, Biennial Southwest, Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque NM, Neal Benezra, Director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Juror and Curator
Third Place Prize, Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art, Jeffrey D. Grove, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, High Museum of Art Atlanta Juror
2005 Individual Artist Grant, Cultural Arts Council of Houston and Harris County
Third Place Prize, Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art, Dominic Molon, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Juror and Curator
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Creators Project, 06.2016
Politiken, Københagen, Photo Essay, 03.28.2016
Kinetic, Art from Polsinelli Art Collection, Privately Published 2015
Victoria Machmudov, Under övervakningsradarn, Konstperspektiv, Limhamm, Sweden, 06.2014
Rasterfahndung (Tracing the Grid), Kunstmuseum Stuttgar (Show Catalog)
Just Not Yet: Dodging the Vaccum of Meaning, Landmark Gallery, Texas Tech University (Show
Catalog)
Painted Landscapes, Lauren P. Della Monica, Schiffer Books. 2013
Iris Mclister, WIlliam Betts Review: Terminal at Richard Levy Gallery, THE Magazine, 2011
Douglas Britt, Confronting Beauty - And The Ugly Truth - In A Mirror, Houston Chronicle, 11.07.2010
The Southwest’s Top Ten Exhibition Picks for 2010, Huffington Post, 12.30.2010
Charissa N. Terranova, William Betts at Holly Johnson, ARTLIES, Issue 65, Winter 2010
Manon Slome, The Aesthetics of Terror, Charta
Claudia Schmukli, Houston Area Show, Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston (Show Catalog)
Sharon Brock, Looming threats spark art, Palo Alto Daily News, February 28, 2008
Alan Artner, Chilling surveillance-camera images tap into fears, Chicago Tribune, January 18, 2008.
New American Paintings - Western Region Edition No. 72, Nick Capasso, juror
Kelly Klaasmeyer, Retinal Redux, Houston Press, April 19, 2007
Elaine Wolff, Reading Between the Pixels, San Antonio Current, March 13, 2007
Nikki Moore, Bi-ology, Austin Chronicle, March 1, 2007
Brian Staker, Abs, Tracked, Salt Lake City Weekly, April 18, 2007
Texas Biennial 2007, Austin, Texas, Show Catalog
Theresa Downing, SUPERvision, Foster Gallery, University of Wisconsin, Eau-Claire (Show Catalog)
Margery Gordon, Art Basel Miami: Pulse Beats Sophomore Slump, ARTINFO.com, December 9, 2006
Dan R. Goddard, Houston, in the eyes of the artists, San Antonio Express-News, December 3, 2006
Nancy Salem, Biennial Southwest, Albuquerque Tribune, October 5, 2006
Biennial Southwest, Albuquerque Museum, Show Catalog
Bill Davenport: Ripped from the Pages at CACHH, Glasstire.com, May 15, 2006
Bill Davenport: William Betts Makes Art and a Profit, Houston Chronicle, Sunday Zest Magazine cover
story, May 7, 2006
Alan Artner, Review: William Betts at Peter Miller, Chicago Tribune, March 10, 2006
Lauren Weinberg, William Betts at Peter Miller, Time Out Chicago, March 3, 2006
Fred Camper, Slices of Light, Chicago Reader, March 3, 2006
Kelly Klaasmeyer, Grab Bag: Diverseworks surveys Texas Painting, Houston Press, December 2005
Charissa N. Terranova, William Betts at Holly Johnson, ARTLIES 48, Fall 2005
New American Painting, Volume 60, Open Studios Press, 2005, Fereshteh Daftari, Assistant Curator,
Museum of Modern Art, Juror
Michael Paglia, Formal Ware, Westword Weekly, May 13, 2005
D’Lynne Plummer, Destination Nao, South End News, April 2005
Cate McQuaid, Incremental Disruption, The Boston Globe, April 15, 2005
Jeanne Claire van Ryzin, Brushed With Greatness, Austin American-Statesman, March 8, 2005
Elaine Wolff, Digital-induced Angst and Sensory Overload, San Antonio Current, March 10, 2005
J R Compton, The 2005 Texas Biennial: The Illusive 3rd Dimension, Dallas Arts Revue, March, 2005
Tyler Green, ArtLA Faves, Artsjournal.com, February 2, 2005
Kelly Klaasmeyer, Capsule Reviews, Houston Press, October 21, 2004
Tim Moloney, The Line on William Betts, 002 Magazine, November 2004
"Vardia Beach"
acrylic on canvas
48' x 72 inches / 1.22 x 1,82 cm
"Swimmers"
acrylic on canvas
48' x 72 inches / 1.22 x 1,82 cm
"Agali Beach"
Oil and acrylic on canvas
48' x 72 inches / 1.22 x 1,82 cm
"Woman On Rock"
acrylic on canvas
48' x 72 inches / 1.22 x 1,82 cm
''Voyage''
acrylic on canvas
72' x 48' inches / 1.82 x 1,22 cm