Darkroom Print with Aerosol Embellishments, Framed, 16×12”. 2023. Collaborative work with photographer Adam Elkins. Previously on display at 934 Gallery in Columbus, OH. Part of the "Walled Gardens" collection: "A collection of wall sculptures and painted photographs celebrating the concept of growth. Adam Elkins (photographer) and Dillon Beck (painter/muralist) are back with a collaborative series exploring growth, change, and the power of nature. Plants grow through the cracks; community gardens thrive in vacant lots; small-scale parks serve as a large-scale escape for many city dwellers and even as housing for some. Even in the city, surrounded by asphalt, cement, and manmade chaos, nature cradles, protects, and thrives. "The concept of a “walled garden” is prevalent in our modern lives: think city parks, conservatories, and even single-family homes in a literal sense; think modern operating systems, social media, and general design systems in a figurative sense. In software design, it can be a dangerous tool used to trap people in a loop and maximize advertising profits and targeting. However, in nature it can create a beautiful guided experience and protect the gardens from negative human and animal intervention. In our show, I’d like to think the concept is a positive mix of the two of those ideas. The painted surround represents the walls to the garden: everything outside of those walls is out of our control, but the walls contain something beautiful. The photograph is a portal to another world, a sacred spot in a garden, a snapshot of a moment in time. We can’t control the outside world, but we can create a vignette in which to escape. "Serving as an extension from their past show, “Inside Looking Out,” at Skylab Gallery, Adam and Dillon progress from the past theme of isolation to the current theme of growth. The past show focused on isolation and anxiety felt during the pandemic, and while the problem still rages on, we as a society are learning how to live again. No matter how dark the past is, no matter how frustrating the present may be, the future is ours to brighten. "If nature can thrive in chaos, why shouldn’t we?"
