Michael Miller, Wall Installation

In April, Michael Miller will be an Artist-In-Residence at Ewha Womans University, College of Art and Design. During that time he will be creating, with the assistance of several Ewha graduate students, three print installations. The pieces will be installed at the university and then re-installed at the Keumsan Gallery in Seoul.

These works, along with twelve other pieces will be exhibited at the gallery from April 23 through May 6. The exhibition's reception, to be broadcast live over the Internet, is scheduled for 5 P.M. on April 23.

In February of 2005, many of these pieces can be seen at an exhibition at the Walsh Gallery in Chicago.

Head to Head (wall installation, total print installation, woodcut/digital, 50 ft. x 7 ft., 2004)

 

Head to Head (Paranoid) (wall installation, detail, woodcut/digital, 50 ft. x 7 ft., 2004)

Head to Head (Circuit Board) (wall installation, detail, woodcut/digital, 10 ft. x 7 ft., 2004)

Head to Head (Overheard) (wall installation, detail, woodcut/digital, 12 ft. x 7 ft., 2004)

Head to Head (Eye/Nose) (wall installation, detail, woodcut/digital, 44 in. x 36 in., 2004)

Head to Head (Double Ears) (wall installation, detail, woodcut/digital, 36 in.. x 36 in.., 2004)

Head to Head (Blackheads) (wall installation, detail, woodcut/digital, 44 in. x 42 in., 2004)

Face To Face

The work in this exhibition deals with group dynamics and the role of the individual within the group. In some instances, the point of view is from that of the participant, and in other situations; it's from the observer. Depicted are characterizations of individuals and groups in conflict, harmony and uncertainty. Consistent in all of the pieces are the struggles involved in human social survival.

As with previous recent exhibitions, the pieces in this show are narratives that are the results of personal experiences. Most of the components of the work are generated from sketchbook drawings. The drawings are then transformed through the use of copier and computer resources into digital prints. The prints are then cut, arranged, and collaged. By giving the collages a slight dimension, they take on the character of being both an object and a picture. There are also more direct drawings that deal with the same general theme.

Stylistically, the work refers to opinion and editorial cartoon conventions. This drawing approach is preferred because it is easily accessible. These drawings and prints, in addition to the general theme, grapple with issues of specificity, exaggeration and visual shorthand.

My main references are German Expressionists prints, Saul Steinberg and many political cartoonists.

Michael Miller
March, 2004

 

See more of Michael Miller's work in our Artists' Portfolio Section