CAKE. you can eat it, too: B Shawn Cox

Austin, TX—Davis Gallery is pleased to present B Shawn Cox’s sixth solo show with us, CAKE. you can eat it, too. Join us for the opening reception February 28th, 2026 from 4-7pm. 

This feast for the eyes explores cake as both material and metaphor—an indulgent symbol of celebration, desire, and transition. Drawing from vintage pinup calendars, retro muscle fitness magazines, and pop culture toys and memories of homemade birthday cakes, a bit of subtext is baked in the work that revels in sugary excess, saturated color, and nostalgic pleasure. Pulp “beefcake” cowboys and “cheesecake” pinup cowgirls form the base of a fantasy created through layers of color and pattern in a series of new paintings, drawings, sculptural slices, and playful cast objects. Cox translates the dopamine rush of sweets into visual form, merging childhood dreams with Western rural realities and cultural decadence. These works function as visual desserts—sensual, humorous, and self-aware—inviting viewers to savor hidden layers of longing, memory, and indulgence, because you can have your cake and eat it, too.

The exhibition's visual richness stems from B. Shawn Cox’s unique background and introspective art practice. Hailing from a West Texas ranching family, Cox pursued degrees in Architecture and Law before embracing a three-decade-long journey of artistic creation. His work is a continuous reflection on memory, perception, and understanding—often revisiting moments that are real, imagined, or distorted.

Cox’s process is centered around layering, cliché, and narrative, exemplified by the decadent, multi-layered "visual desserts" in CAKE. you can eat it, too. He frequently starts with personal or vintage found photographs, drawing inspiration from a broad spectrum including advertising, architecture, 80’s pop music, literature, and even embracing AI to create source images. Through his vibrant and eclectic works, exhibited nationwide, Cox shares his exploration of internal and external narratives, offering viewers insights into his world and his place within it.