Stephen Powers and Icy Signs
Perfection Is Standard, Mistakes Cost Extra
Perfection is Standard, Mistakes Cost Extra presents the ICY Sign Shop as a fully operational workspace inside Joshua Liner Gallery. Featuring Justin Green, Matt Wright, Stephen Powers, Lew Blum, Dan Murphy, Alexis Ross, Sean Barton, and Mike Lee, the exhibition transforms the gallery into a living sign shop where hand-painted signage and works rooted in traditional sign-painting vernacular are produced in real time. Blending craft, performance, and visual culture, ICY Signs reintroduces visual chaos and individuality to the urban landscape, elevating the everyday through color, typography, and material experimentation.
Stephen Powers (b. 1968) is a New York–based artist whose work draws from graffiti, hand-painted signage, and public art to explore language, emotion, and everyday experience. He has exhibited internationally, including at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; the 49th Venice Biennale; and the Liverpool Biennial. Powers is widely known for large-scale public projects such as A Love Letter For You, presented in cities including Philadelphia, São Paulo, Johannesburg, and Brooklyn, and for his solo exhibition A Word is Worth a Thousand Pictures (2012) at Joshua Liner Gallery.
Sean Barton Black and White Text Message (Sephora), 2013 Enamel on crescent clay board 22.75 x 32.5 in (57.8 x 82.6 cm)
Mike Lee Untitled , 2013 Enamel on aluminum 24 x 32 in (61 x 81.3 cm) JL984
Stephen Powers Tight Ship, 2013 Enamel on aluminum 48 x 48 in (121.9 x 121.9 cm)
Alexis Ross Boys of Summer, 2013 Enamel on panel 24 x 24 in (61 x 61 cm)
Justin Green Save the Bees, 2013 Enamel on aluminum 30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61 cm)
Shameak Let There Be Neon, 2013 Neon 108 x 132 in (274.3 x 335.3 cm)