

Disassembled, 2020
Archival pigment print, 16” x 24”


Still Life of Keyboards and Circuit Boards, 2020
Archival pigment print, 16” x 24”


Pyramid of Disposable Cameras, 2020
Archival pigment print, 16” x 24”


Stereo View Camera, 2020
Kodak projector lenses, wood, glass, paper, Dimensions variable


Camera with Three Interchangeable Lens Boards, 2017
Cell phone lenses, wood, Horseman 6 x 9 film holder, Dimensions variable


Abduction 6, 2019
Archival pigment print, 10” x 15”


Phone Portrait 6, 2017
Wet plate collodion tintype, 4” x 5”


Modular Projectors, 2019
Camera lenses, wood, light bulb, lantern cord, electric motor, Dimensions variable


Komorebi (installation view), 2019
Mixed media, Dimensions variable


Komorebi (installation view), 2019
Mixed media, Dimensions variable


Camera with Lenses, 2017
Cell phone lenses, wood, silicone, 3” x 6” x 3”


Phone Casings, 2019
Archival pigment print, 12” x 18”


Circuit Boards, 2019
Archival pigment print, 12” x 18”


Encapsulation 6, 2020
Archival pigment print, 12” x 18”


Phone Portrait 3, 2017
Wet plate collodion tintype, 4” x 5”
The intersection of perception, technology and consumerism is the predominant theme of my work. I make cameras and photographs, and I search for optical instruments, antiquated technology as well as electronic waste as both my subject matter and material. Through combining analog and digital methods in my process, I search for dialogues between function and futility, excess and scarcity, survival and greed.
Many historical media transitioned from a necessity to obsolescence and in the current age, to novelty. While continuing parts of my life are being transferred into various forms of data that can be retrieved on digital devices, these entities are being rendered obsolete. My perception of time is distorted by the evolution of technology, triggering a series of existential questions. While advancing technology provides us with much convenience, we are driven by the desire of a better life that is fulfilled by endless consumption. This pursuit of happiness, is it attainable or merely an illusion?
Muzi Li Rowe was born and raised in Beijing, China, and has lived in between Beijing, Sydney and Hawaii before residing in Northern California. Rowe received a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the University of Sydney, Australia and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California Davis. Rowe is the recipient of The Ali Youssefi Project 2020 Artist in Residence and currently a resident artist at Verge Center for the Arts. Apart from her practise as a visual artist, Rowe works as a photographer and fine art printer under the name Eighteen Percent Labs.
https://eighteenpercentlabs.com