Signed and sealed: Logan’s art is fit for a sacred shrine

He’s only in his early 20s, but artist and architecture student Logan Bow has already had a unique career highlight — getting his artwork preserved in the vault of a Taiwanese temple. Motivated by creativity and community, the MAS Member has exciting plans ahead and plenty more travel on the cards.  

Driving past Fo Guang Shan Temple in South Auckland, Logan Bow had long been intrigued by what was behind the imposing front gates. When an opportunity came his way to take part in an art event on the sacred grounds, curiosity made him jump at the chance, and the temple’s teachings struck a chord.  

“I wouldn’t say I’m particularly spiritual,” says the 22-year-old. “I’m quite agnostic when it comes to religion, but I loved how the people at the temple put an emphasis on equality, hospitality and sharing; there’s a real sense of community and fostering connection.  

“Fo Guang Shan is a branch of Buddhism that is relatively modern with its integration of Eastern and Western lifestyles. At the temple, they use art as a foundation for what they describe as boundless harmony. It links to how art can be a platform of expression for so many things beyond the material aspect. It all fitted really well with my own interest in art and design.” 

For the University of Auckland student, life is a juggle between practicing as a part-time artist and completing a conjoint master’s degree in architecture and urban design. It’s a schedule that keeps him busy, and it wasn’t long before his two passions led him back to the temple – this time in Taiwan.  

After contributing to an urban design conference at the University of Taipei, he made a beeline for the island’s Fo Guang Shan Temple Headquarters, a local landmark known for its line-up of intricate pagoda towers, sprawling manicured lawns and enormous Buddha sculpture. The Kiwi visitor also arrived with a special gift; one of his own acrylic glass sculptures, small enough to tuck into his suitcase and carefully packaged for the journey. 

“I turned up at the temple and they were so welcoming,” he says. “I met the important Venerables and the second-in-command Abbess (Supreme Female Monk) and that was an amazing experience in itself. I gifted them the sculpture to show my gratitude for their hospitality and was just blown away when they said they wanted to enshrine it in the underground palace of sacred treasures.

“They have an underground vault with a collection of items sealed away. Every 100 years they open up a level in the vault to re-exhibit some of the treasures as a gesture to creativity. Once it's sealed away in the new year, my sculpture is scheduled to come out in 2,000 years, which is pretty mind-blowing! The whole experience was such a privilege.”

A world of creativity

For Logan, who has MAS Investments to keep his financial future on track, an interest in art started in high school. Since then, he’s been involved with Eden Park’s ‘Art in the Park’ event for the past 3 years, most recently exhibiting sculptures in the MAS Emerging Artist’s Gallery.

While he used to draw hyper-realistic portraits and landscapes, he says his art has evolved to a style that feels more like him.

“I moved to abstract sculpture because each piece is its own unique expression, rather than a replica of something that already exists. For me, that’s become more fulfilling. I like to sculpt in acrylic glass because you can melt it and it retains its form. I’m also inspired by found objects in nature, like rocks and shells.

“I enjoy using unexpected materials in my art and letting it take on its own identity. I work quite methodically when I’m making each piece, but I like to keep all the little signs that show the process of making, like marks on surfaces. That’s just what happens when something is made by a person and not by a machine in a factory. Those ‘happy accidents’ are marks of authenticity.”

Although not from an arty family, Logan’s sister, Tyla, is also an accomplished artist (and also exhibited in the MAS Emerging Artist’s Gallery at this year’s Art in the Park). And for Logan, an ideas magpie who makes each of his artworks one-of-a-kind and bespoke, the creative pull is so strong it can keep him up at night.

“I make art every day, and I’m always thinking about it. Some nights I can’t sleep as the ideas keep coming! I think it’s easier for ideas to flow at night as all the other distractions of the day switch off. But creativity is a 24/7 thing.”