Theo Michael Monument To All Artists Before 5000BC, 2014 Wood, stone, thread 40 x 30 x 20 cm Theo Michael is drawn to timeless and archetypal imagery notably of astronomy, natural history and anthropology. The pathological urge to capture such images is always dotted with doubts about the act itself, which interfere with the end result. Thus a coupling of irreconcilable elements takes place, where the rational coexists with the irrational, the sublime with the ridiculous and the religious with the nihilistic. Contradictions are sought after, as are any conditions that defy resolution and linguistic interpretation. Michael´s works embrace procedural mistakes that lead to unknown regions. He believes that not unlike Darwinian Evolution, novel artworks are random mutations in the right environmental context; hence he cultivates conditions that emulate Evolution by making decisions that are seemingly erroneous. Theo Michael´s most recent work consists of drawings, large prints, sculptures made of polystyrene and polyurethane foam, text pieces and ceramics all of which come together in a contingent state in order to challenge the role of language and subsequently meaning in contemporary art. Seemingly meaningful forms and symbols are regularly used as McGuffins, or elements of suspense, then systematically sabotaged, so as to interrogate conventional ways of thinking about art. Michael received his BFA from Utrecht School of the Arts and his MFA from Wimbledon College of Art. His work has been exhibited at Steve Turner Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Galería OMR, Mexico City, Mexico; AMP, Athens, Greece; Curro & Poncho, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico; Winterthur, Winterthur, Zurich, Switzerland; and twice in the Thessaloniki Biennale in Athens, Greece (2007 and 2009).
