For Immediate Release
Greg Mike: Pigment Of My Imagination
August 23 - October 4, 2014
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 23rd, from 6pm - 10pm.
Maxwell Colette Gallery is thrilled to announce Pigment of My Imagination, new paintings from Atlanta-based artist and designer Greg Mike. This will be his first solo exhibition in Chicago.
Pigment of My Imagination features paintings from Greg Mike’s latest body of work. The selections embody the saturated colors and classic cartoon imagery that has come to be expected from the artist, but these works have at their thematic core an exploration of interactions, connectivity, and relationships in the contemporary world. Not allowing these themes to rest lightly on the surface, Greg Mike has buried them under deconstructed cartoon imagery, punctuated by his highly refined color palette and concise line work. The resulting abstract shapes create an alternate atmosphere where intersecting colored elements create multiple narratives and evoke memories and feelings. Greg Mike says that he finds inspiration for this work in “everything from the 1920’s rubber hose animation to present day pop culture”. Pigment of My Imagination is, in his words: “a culmination of both past and present with a glimpse into the future.”
About the Artist: Currently based in Atlanta, GA, Greg Mike is an artist and designer. He is the founder and creative director of ABV, a multi-platform studio specializing in branding, apparel design and visual production. He has been widely exhibited in the US including shows in California, Georgia, Florida and New York and his murals have been reproduced both in print and online by a number of publications.
Greg Mike was exposed to the creative potential of reimagined public spaces through his trips to NYC in the mid-’80s. As a youth obsessed with the boundless energy and crisp line work of iconic American mid-century cartoons as well as the bombast of classic NYC street art, he began using walls to fuse these two passions together. Further inspired by his deep involvement with skate culture and his intersections with the fashion world, Greg Mike has become known for pieces that incorporate vivid explosions of incandescent color filtered through a Surrealist Pop Art perspective.