Mikel Glass

I fully subscribe to theory of art as therapy - using physical materials as vehicles to manifest the subconscious.

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Chance and free association drive a lot of what I do. That said, I am aware of some recurring themes in my work, often through the use of metaphor (dolls represent the loss of innocence; altered fruit is about man’s manipulation of nature…) I often feel detached from the process of constructing a composition, trying to allow my gut dictate the contents and placement of elements. I rarely alter the form that the assemblage. I feel akin to the Dadaists and Surrealists in their fear of the realm of the obvious, which has consequently forced me to divide into two personalities when working.  First is the Zen artist who comes up with the ideas and second is the craftsman who paints them. 

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I believe the first inkling of an idea worthy of further pursuit is the art in its purest form. After that the craft stage kicks in - executed artfully.

 

The only risk inherent in my process is that an idea I pursue may not work as a painting.  The greatest potential benefit is that something interesting and evocative emerges from the canvas.  And of course, the ultimate personal goal is to have a record of my reaction to the people, things and events that form the world around me. 

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I spent the first several years in Hell’s Kitchen documenting the plight of the homeless and addicted, and the past many years re-purposing found objects from the neighborhood to create kinetic sculptures and installations. In between was a mid-career retrospective entitled The Discarded at the The Taylor Museum in Colorado Springs.  As the neighborhood gentrified, so did I, in the form of learning how the art world works.  In 2012 I created Fair at (Art)Amalgamated in Chelsea which studied the mechanics of the art market, using the art fair paradigm as the vehicle of exploration. I learned that everything I thought I knew about a career in the arts was wrong.  Creating and curating THE(UN)FAIR and unSCENE art shows was born from that realization, Hugh multi-artist, multi media extravaganzas that celebrated the art spirit instead of the business of art.

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For the past decade, I’ve been exploring the intersectionality…