Act III – The Act of Acting

Don’t miss ACAC’s first pop-up exhibition of 2025. 𝘈𝘤𝘵 𝘐𝘐𝘐 – 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, a new exhibition by Atlanta-based artist Shawn Campbell, will transform the old Standard Equipment Company at 75 Beauregard Street in Mobile into a movie set that teases out the Mythos of the American Cowboy. The Cowboy, like the American Dream, is something that has been assembled to present to the masses as a way they should forge themselves to become something better. Through the lens of the American Cowboy and its relationship to popular culture, politics, history, and mythos, Shawn Campbell explores new ways of making and engaging with viewers in order to address complex, problematic topics.

Shawn Campbell is an artist based in Atlanta, Georgia.  He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Photography from The University of Akron and a Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in Studio Art from The University of Georgia. Campbell’s work engages with mythology, military, football, religion, propaganda, and government by exploring their threads while also weaving them together to form and uncover unexpected relationships. Borrowing from the aesthetics of Minimalism, Baroque, Pop Art, and Byzantine iconography, Campbell’s work utilizes a variety of mediums including photography, sculpture, video, installation, and painting. The work is able to function in a broad and open manner due to its recognizable media and art-historical references, presenting questions and granting the viewer the opportunity to connect with the work openly.