Michael
Chavez is an Archibald finalist and has been 'nominated as one of the
top 20 artists under 35 in Australia' by an independent panel of curators
and arts writers assembled by Art Melbourne 06. He was featured in New
Generation, a showcase of emerging artists who are 'doing important work
and should be considered seriously by collectors and astute investors.'
A former animator at Disney, Warner Bro's and Dreamworks, Mike is now
an independent artist working for his own damn self. Chavez’s exploration
of his Filipino heritage through the western lens of post post modernism
gives his work a unique and powerful impact.His work is both hard hitting
and humorous, as evidenced by some of his comments regarding his works.
Chavez states; "There’s a Filipino expression, “bahala
na” which means “come what may” or “leave it to
God”. It’s a fatalistic view, which may account for why Filipinos
are generally blasé about life and death, living in the moment
with little regard for tomorrow. Add to this, a macho culture obsessed
with cockfighting, B-grade action films and 80’s rock and you’ve
got the ingredients for new works such as Live Fast Die Young. A
previous show GHETTO SUPERSTAR explores the issues of exploitation and
the emergence of the third world, notions of beauty, gender, identity,
transformation. Oh, and by the way - they're not girls."
Mike's paintings based on the Australian ute explore the themes of racism and parochialism through their use of bold images, slogans and repetition. And in works featuring anthropomorphized animal characters he examines the complexities of the human condition. "Sure, I could go on about how I wanted to explore the “nature of human relationships, courtship rituals, gender politics and sexual dynamics by juxtaposing our conversational intimacies and pillow talk with anthropomorphic animal couplings”. But really, I just thought it would be fun to paint a pair of pandas rooting."
SOLO
EXHIBITIONS
2010 "it got weird didn't it?" Chaffers Gallery Wellington
2009 "ghetto superstar" Mossgreen Gallery Melbourne
2009 "ghetto superstar" Iain Dawson Gallery Sydney
2008 "menagerie a trois" Edwina Corlette Gallery Brisbane
2008 Iain Dawson Gallery Sydney
2008 "a fistful of pesos" Mossgreen Gallery Melbourne
2007 "paintings my mother wouldn't hang" Diaz-Castillo Gallery
Melbourne
2007 "four play" lorraine pilgrim gallery qld
2007 "50 years in hollywood" Gullotti Galleries Perth
2006 "peepshow" Gullotti Galleries Perth
2006 "terror australis" Fox Gallery Brisbane
2006 "terror australis" Linden Gallery Melbourne
2006 "smells like victory" Beatty Gallery Sydney
2005 "all your base are belong to us" Smyrnios Gallery Melbourne
2005 "roots in beaut utes" - Beatty Gallery Sydney
2005 "yard sale" Doggett St Studio Brisbane
2004 "weapons of mass deception" Ric's Bar Brisbane
2004 "weapons of mass deception" Fox Galleries Brisbane
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2009 Archibald Finalists Touring Exhibition AGNSW
2008 Edwina Corlette Gallery Brisbane
2007 "eleven" Harrison Galleries Sydney
2007 "let them roam" Harrison Galleries Sydney
2006 "5 young artists" Harrison Galleries Sydney
2006 Art Sydney 06 Walker Fine Art
2006 Art Sydney 06 Paul Gullotti Galleries
2006 Art Melbourne 06 New Generation
2005 'pink pigs go pop' Popshop Gallery Melbourne
2005 "discovery art prize" Gasworks Melbourne
2004 "business as usual" Fox Galleries Brisbane
2004 "anniversary show" Doggett St Studio Brisbane
AWARDS
2009 Selected Finalist Archibald Prize
2008 Selected Finalist Fleurieu art Prize
2007 Selected Finalist Prometheus Award
2007 Selected Finalist Metro 5 Award
COLLECTIONS
Michael is represented in public collections such as the National
Portrait Gallery, Artbank, Latrobe University Museum & Hardy's SA
along with many private collections in Australia, Singapore, US &
Canada.
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