William Betts
William Betts is an American painter whose works are similar to pointillism — a technique typically associated with George Seurat. Betts, however, uses a much more modern approach and bridges art and technology, particularly with software and a CNC machine, with his works. With this technology, Betts deconstructs and then reconstruct images that are reminiscent of pixelated photos such as those taken by security cameras. This similarity is suggestive of institutional surveillance and the Panopticon designed by philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham. His paintings relay the idea of a constant fear of being watched, as is highlighted by the Panopticon design. Betts, through his methodology in including high tech software and seeing images as data, creates a clear association between art and technology and further emphasizes the just stigma against authority and surveillance.
William Betts received his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Arizona State University in 1999. His most recent solo exhibitions were in 2015 at the Kostuik Gallery in Vancouver and in 2012 at Plus Gallery in Denver, Colorado and Robert McClain Gallery in Houston, Texas. He participated in Brave New World at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague in 2015 and Logical Expressions and Variations at Margaret Thatcher Projects in New York in 2013. He was awarded 1800 Tequila Essential Artist Project in 2013 and in 2010 he received the Individual Artist Grant, New Works Fellowship Award from the Houston Arts Alliance and was a finalist for the Hunting Art Prize. He has been featured in the Huffington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Boston Globe. Betts is currently based in Houston, Texas.
Courtesy of the Artist
William Betts
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