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MICHAEL REA ortress
FSOLITUDE2 OF
INTERVIEW BY THOMAS NICHOLAS AND ANDREW ZEITER
PHOTOS BY SASHA FORNARI
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alking into Michael Rea’s studio on Chicago’s West Side is like discovering a secret government warehouse
full of classified artifacts. It is hard to believe that everything you see before you actually does exist. The giant robotic walkers and fantastical futuristic weaponry were things that you gave up believing in decades ago, around the time that you accepted the fact that “Ghostbuster” wasn’t a realistic career choice. But here you stand before contraptions that you have convinced yourself were impossible feats of engineering. Well, they are near impossible feats of engineering. Especially considering the fact that Michael crafts each piece by hand, from memory, without the use of blueprints or in most cases even sketches to plan in the fabrication process. That’s part of the beauty of their creation. They don’t represent exact replicas of the vehicles from Star Wars
or the proton packs worn by Ray, Egon and the rest. They are recreations of an entire golden generation of summer blockbusters, often blurring the line between what inspired them. Some works reference more than one film; part Return of the Jedi, part Robocop, part Ghost in the Darkness. Recreating the machines in this way, and echoing the fallacy of our own memories, breathes new life into the work.
One of the many wonderful things about
Michael Rea’s work is that it appeals to the inner adolescent in us all - that part of our history that still resides deep down, left over from the age when summers were one long waking dream of sleepovers, visits to the multiplex, soft serve ice cream and mini golf under the lights. Michael’s pieces stir up these nostalgic feelings of a time in our lives before selfconsciousness took over. His sculptures encapsulate the kind of youthful excitement that we often spend the rest of our lives trying to recapture. This is possibly why his work elicits such a strong gut reaction with his audience. It’s as if we are rediscovering old friends who we had long forgotten - the heroes and villains that filled the long golden summers of our childhood.
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Michael Rea is a craftsman first and foremost. This is a large
ings and through stretcher building for canvases I got into woodworking.
part of how he is able to achieve what he does with his work. The atten-
Someone invited me over to use a table saw to do some inlays for a
tion to detail and care that is taken with each miniscule component is
frame and I was like, this is fun, but it’s taking a while spending all this
mind-boggling. As with most woodworking, Michael does employ large
time on the back of the picture. It started by just learning to stick wood
mounted saws and drills, but a huge portion is crafted by hand, through
together.
molding, sanding and joining. It is this tactility in both process and prod-
Andrew : The detail is unbelievable though. The fact that you’re mostly
uct that adds to the appeal of the final work. A lot of his pieces are
self-taught is just astounding.
meant to be held (or wielded) which extends the mythology that he is
Michael : Well I did go to grad school for it. I got in and did a series of
creating. One piece entitled, A Prosthetic Suit For Stephen Hawking w/
rock and roll instruments as the first kind of project. I actually just rebuilt
Japanese Steel, can be mounted and worn just as its subject might. In
those for a show, which was interesting to kind of cap that, like déjà vu,
the end Michael Rea’s work is just
I was like “God I didn’t even know
as real if not more authentic than
what I was doing the first time”.
what inspired each piece. The
But yeah I went to Madison for
only difference is in the material.
Grad school and they were pretty
Michael works almost exclusively
sophisticated out there as far as
with unfinished wood.
fabrication. I worked with a guy
Rather than fully com-
named Aris Giorgiadis who was
pleting the fabrication process
originally from Chicago and was
Michael stops just shy of the mark,
this big sculpture guy who makes
allowing the audience to fill in the
these mammoth metal sculptures
rest. What is preserved through
for public consumption that kids
this choice is the audience’s
can just beat the hell out of and
feeling of nostalgia. After all, this
that will stay together. And the
period that Michael captures so
other guy was named Tom Loeser
perfectly is different to each one
who was a furniture maker and
of us, and although our memories
would measure his joints with a
may be fallible, the emotions as-
piece of paper to see if they were
sociated with them are as real as
tight enough. So I got a lot of tips
can be.
and learned a lot from just watchNew Heroes members
ing other grad students and hit
Thomas Nicholas and Andrew
the ground running. I think the
Zeiter were given access to Mi-
painting I used to do is pretty im-
chael Rea’s studio this summer
portant in terms of how I build the
and were allowed to pick his brain
sculptures and everything.
about his work, all things fantastic
Thomas : It’s great to be in here.
in cinema, art and summertime in
I think its kind of a fantasyland for
Chicago. Correspondant Sasha
our generation. There is stuff in
Fornari captured the visit with his camera.
here from all of the movies that our generation grew up loving. To be honest these movies are in some way responsible for me getting into art.
Thomas : One of the things I noticed about your work was the detail that
I mean the Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies.
is apparent when seeing your it in person as opposed to in photos. It’s
Michael : Yeah I kind of think that Indiana Jones was like the quintessen-
just so intricate. Do you have a background in woodworking?
tial one. When Jaws came out I was a little too young, but as an adult I
Michael Rea : No my undergrad was in painting and art education ac-
kind of went back and just drooled over how cool it was.
tually. When I first moved to Chicago I was teaching elementary school
Andrew : So what would be your top movies growing up?
in Rolling Meadows and living in Bucktown when you could still afford
Michael : Well you know of course Star Wars. I was in second grade and
to live in Bucktown, like about seven years ago. I was just doing paint-
my mom took me. The release of the movie kind of coincided with our
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Tsavo Manhunters, Part 1, 2009
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last day of school. She took us over to Ford City Mall on the south side
Michael : Well most of them are just from memory. I mean once in a
of Chicago. Also, Return of the Jedi and of course Indiana Jones were
while I’ll Google search something just to remember what it looks like
really important. Aliens, and Alien. I mean I was kind of a junkie for all
and get a vague idea. Or I’ll just go back and watch the movie. For
that stuff. Then Tarantino started to come out with movies and now you
these two Lions I watched Ghost in the Darkness. These were part of this
have T.V. shows like Family Guy – and these things are actually so com-
big Walker {from Star Wars/Robocop}. They kind of hang on the sides -
plex. They reference so many things from that period of time. I mean you
these two lifeless, captive lions. They were a pain in the ass to make.
have to have seen eight million things from that time to get the jokes.
Andrew : And it’s a purposeful choice to leave it all unfinished?
Thomas : But I wonder if that will play itself out in future generations.
Michael : Yeah it’s just kind of raw. And also it leaves it open to make
Generations that won’t be as familiar with those specific references. I
adjustments if I don’t quite finish them. Also not making a copy of some-
mean it’s hilarious to us but it seems that the nature of that type of humor
thing, they’re raw, so that its not just an exact copy. If you start doing
might be too generational.
that you get into a John Henry scenario of – I’m going to beat the train.
Michael : Yeah. This younger generation seems kind of different. You
I mean it’s hard to beat digital recreations, and machine recreations.
watch things like Avatar where now it’s a different kind of experience
And well, he died in that story. But you’ve got to kind of start thinking - ,
than it used to be. I mean I argued for Avatar. But it’s kind of like going
“what’s the point of making a copy? You could just buy the thing. What
to an amusement park in a way. So maybe that won’t necessarily have
makes it unique?” I kind of wanted it to be about the frailty of the hu-
a presence, an imprint on culture.
man condition. So when I’m working and its starts to go awry you just
Thomas : Well I think it’s extraordinary because it’s the first real leap in
have to go with it and present those little embarrassments with the final
the technology of motion pictures in quite some time. I mean you have
product.
sound, color and now 3-D.
Thomas : I like that. You’re kind of leaving room for error.
Michael : I kind of miss the drive-ins. You put a mattress and two buck-
Michael : Yeah allowing it to be not perfect. There’s kind of a balance
ets in the back of a flat bed. But now you also have the ability to sort of
of beauty there. I mean you can’t make something too shitty or you’ll
watch whatever you want, whenever you want. VHS was kind of invent-
be up the creek. But there is kind of something poetic about leaving it
ed when I was in second or third grade. So before that you used to have
unfinished. Stopping short. Not killing the joke.
to go to the theater whenever something was playing that you wanted
Thomas : So are there any movies that you haven’t gotten around to
to see because you never knew when it would come out again.
referencing?
Thomas : We used rent a VCR sometimes on the weekend and it was
Michael : I’ve been wanting to do a piece about The Exorcist for years.
this huge deal.
I just can’t figure out how to do it! Ughh! I was thinking I wanted to make
Michael : Yeah, or someone you knew would get cable and you’d all
it kind of interactive, like with this gun {from Robocop/Star Wars} you can
kind of congregate at that house. That’s how I saw Alien for the first time.
put it on your arm. I was thinking maybe the bed would just face you so it
It was on HBO at my uncle’s house, and I saw it way too young. John
was like you were getting the above view. Or you could stick your head
Carpenter’s The Thing was another one.
in the face so you were kind of possessing the possessed. Also I’ve been
Thomas : I love The Thing! (To Andrew) didn’t we just watch that a little
thinking about making like a Strawberry Shortcake car.
while ago?
Thomas : My wife would love that.
Andrew: Yeah I love The Thing. We rented it a few weeks ago but you
Michael : Yeah when I look at all this stuff it’s all kind of boyish and I think
fell asleep right away.
maybe I should do something more feminine, you know. That’s maybe
Michael : Yeah, Kurt Russell is so good in it. I just went back and watched
the one that I have to start building soon or think of something else – I
Deathproof, that Tarintino movie that has Kurt Russell in it. He’s so awe-
have a show coming up in November. I try not to think about it too much
some. I was watching it, and it was kind of a nerdville kind of thing, I
– I just have to get in there and start doing it.
noticed that one of scenes has a reference to Big Trouble In Little China
Andrew : How long do these pieces take?
{another Kurt Russell 80’s movie}
Michael : About 6 months. Its hard to travel this large stuff too - that’s
Thomas : I have vivid memories of seeing that when I was five.
kind of the tricky part.
Michael : I like what Tarantino has done with film. He has like appropri-
Thomas : Yeah I can’t imagine. The shipping must be insane. How has
ated this stuff and now he utilizes a common language.
your work evolved over the years?
Thomas : So when you recreate these pieces do you use any type of
Michael : I guess it’s been about getting a narrative more involved.
images from these movies you mentioned or are they just strictly from
Like Edward Kienholz or Charles Ray, where it is a little bit more about a
memory?
scene, or the sets, like your looking at the stage from a side view. So it’s a
A Prosthetic Suit For Stephen Hawking w/ Japanese Steel, 2007
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conversation about the suspension of belief through viewing them in the round. Some of the first {pieces} were just performative, like the rock band series. And then when I went to grad school I thought I would just build something static that would work, so people could have a similar experience without me having to jump around in the exhibit like a jackass. To see if the object could do the work without actors. And the first couple were just solemn objects that sat quietly and then I began trying to make them a little more dynamic. So there is a story arc in the piece. And also to try and make the sources a little more jumbled and fractured and create a jigsaw of like six movies. Like what happens when I stick six movies together – a little bit more cryptic. A little more ridiculous. Andrew : Is there ever a huge discrepancy between the final project and where you start? Michael : Yeah sometimes. I don’t do a lot of sketching. So they change around a lot. You have six months to do it so you come in and think. ”Oh no, I have six months to work on this thing.” I mean taking six months to fabricate something is…. horrible. You lose it. Andrew : But it also seems really mathematic. Michael : Well a lot of times the necessity for something to hold more weight or balance something else will inform the aesthetic. So I end up making changes as I get into it. You have to kind of react to the actual object. If I was smarter I guess I could visualize exactly what it would look like in my head. It just turns in to such a marathon – I can’t quite pull the trigger on this Strawberry Shortcake car though. Thomas : Do you have anybody to assist you with the work? Michael : Sometimes, yeah like the last time I had a couple friends come in. It was January or December and I was still trying to finish these wooden chain links that I was working on for the Lions, and it just took forever and it was getting to the point where I just couldn’t do it anymore, my hands were getting arthritis. Like, “Awww shit I can only do ten of these a day!” so if I had to do seventy or something… Some friends would come in and be like, “What are you working on?” and I’d show them and they’d say, ” Aww I want to try that can I come in and do it?” And I’d say “Suuuure, you know, sand away here you go”… Sometimes I need help lifting things too. Also its kind if lonely… just sitting here with music, alone. THOMAS : Well thank you so much for letting us visit. It’s really wonderful to get to be in an artist’s creative space. Michael : Yeah no problem, come by anytime, like I said it gets lonely.
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Kelsey Brookes makes high volume art
Opposite Page: Felix (2009)
I don’t mean that he is especially prolific but rather that his paintings are a cacaphony of intense colors and imagery that threaten to burn the retina. His style is a mash-up of global cultures that incorporate elements of Hinduism, African textiles and graffiti. Many of his works seem to be cellular in form, which may be a residual of his previous occupation as a biochemist. Kelsey Brookes is an ultra-aesthetic artist, to be sure. But what he presents in his work doesn’t exist for this purpose alone. In-
stead, it is intended to initiate a conversation about what we are drawn to visually as human beings and what that says about our nature. Recently Kelsey’s paintings have been exploring Eastern ideas of beauty as represented in pop culture. Many of his new pieces share the cartoonishly-large eyes that are common in Japanese Manga. The New Heroes spoke to Kelsey while in his studio about microbiology, cellular engineering, Mozart and a little bit about art. 77
THOMAS : One of the most amazing things about
KELSEY : I think as a child everyone does have ar-
your whole story is that you went to school to be-
tistic tendancies - it’s just whether or not they are
come a biologist. What motivated you to go into
encouraged as you develop. I remember drawing
that in the first place and then what made you start
and stuff, of course, but then that was all left behind
a new journey into art?
in elementary school. I remember my buddy in third grade was able to draw a plane in perspective.
KELSEY : To be honest I feel like a lot of my own self-
Back then everyone was very interested in draw-
direction led me to science. I wasn’t too decisive
ing planes and he all of a sudden drew a plane in
and it just seemed to be the path that opened up
perspective. I remember it kind of being a big deal.
in front of me. In school if you do well in science
I was like, ‘great I can’t do that’, and then I kind
then that’s the place you’re encouraged to go so
of told myself, ‘okay, well you’re not an artist.’ So I
I followed science and math because that’s what
didn’t even really take the idea of art seriously until
I did well in school and that’s what interested me.
probably a couple years after I graduated from col-
To be honest that still interests me. Just from a differ-
lege, maybe 6 or 7 years ago. Then I started finding
ent perspective, I guess. So it was just kind of going
it to be a really interesting thing. I wanted to learn
through life doing what I was told and that got me
more about it and in the process of trying to learn
into science. It wasn’t until I matured a little bit and
more about it, I ended up actually doing it to un-
started practicing in my career as a scientist that
derstand it. I think to really try and learn about any-
I realized, ‘You know, this is really no fun. Let’s do
thing you have to just do it. And I got hooked. It was
something else.’
pretty simple.
THOMAS : Do you feel that you always had artistic
THOMAS : It seems like biology is still something
tendencies growing up, or was that something you
that is reflected in your work. The circular and the
began to discover once you were a little older?
Hindu type paintings also have this cellular element
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Above: Kelsey in his Natural Habitiat Photos by Ross Morrison
to them. Like microorganisms. Is that a conscious choice or is it something that is now just part of you that comes out in your work? KELSEY : I guess people do try to make that connection. I don’t really see too much of that in there. Whether it is conscious or not I don’t know. I really appreciate detai - really small minute little details
that sense I can see a direct relation to science, but
in things and in parts of larger paintings, so I can
not in the actual technique yet, maybe one day.
see how certain paintings can look like microscopic
For right now I haven’t been able to put it together
organisms. But realistically what I am aesthetically
yet.
interested in is what goes with the composition of a painting or what finishes off a certain painting.
THOMAS : I was looking at your work all day on my
Conceptually, I hope to incorperate biology one
computer and then I logged into another site and
day. I think there is a general curiosity that led me
saw that there is a scientist who was just able to
into science about the world and larger questions
synthesize life in cellular form and kind of bypass
about life and what we’re doing here. Not only
evolution by controlling the compounds of life. Did
what we’re doing here but what’s happening to us
you see that in the news?
and ideas about consciousness and stuff like that. Those things kind of get put into my work; they’re
KELSEY : No that’s crazy I haven’t looked into that
kind of a conceptual base for a lot of these paint-
research at all. I still try and keep in touch with what
ings. So I can see a parallel in the sense that science
is happening in a larger perspective; I mean in the
is basically just questioning and looking for answers
field I was in it was so so specific I kind of left that
and my art is sort of reflecting that questioning. In
behind. That’s crazy though.
Above: Goofball Gobbeldy Gook (2009)
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THOMAS : Yeah I will forward you the link. It kind of blew my mind. The
and symobols and things they use to communicate are all very childlike
ethics involved are staggering.
– that has always interested me. I have also always liked that in other people’s work - when they reference that goofy kind of imagery. But it’s
KELSEY : Yeah definitely forward that. That’ll be awesome.
looked at as a lesser form of communication in our society because it’s used in children’s books and cartoons. In eastern society it’s everywhere.
THOMAS : If you don’t necessarily feel that science has a direct repre-
It’s ubiquitous in the way they communicate. So when I came back from
sentation in your work what influences would you credit? I see a lot of
Japan I thought, ‘ok that’s a legitimate way to communicate.’ I wanted
Eastern religion. Is that something you’re exploring?
to utilize these cartoony, exaggerated caricatures of the human figure and try to use that to communicate my ideas. So a lot of the new stuff
KELSEY : Definitely. It was more so in the past. It’s not so much a direct
that I have been doing incorporates those ideas. A lot of the figures now
influence now. At this point I’m trying to combine this idea of pure aes-
have these big cartoonish eyes or goofy looking hands.
thetic and concept in my art - trying to tie those things together. I’m trying to come up with things that I like to paint and things that look
THOMAS : That’s interesting. I have always felt that all human beings are
beautiful and painting them in ways that are pleasing to the eye. I’m
kind of attracted to that super-colorful aesthetic based work. I feel like
trying to take those things and add a conceptual basis to them - like
everyone deep down gravitates toward that and yet it seems like a lot of
what are my thoughts on this world or what purpose do we have here
highbrow art is about denying that impulse that we have in us anyway.
or just larger meditations and trying to put that into these canvases. Lots
It seems as if there are two art camps; the aesthetic based visceral art
of philosophical things, sort of poetic verses and things like that. So in the
camp and the conceptual camp and they are always at war with each
new paintings that I am working on right now the Eastern religious influ-
other and refuse to merge and become something. Whether or not you
ences have kind of fallen away. I went to Japan about a year ago and
want to incorporate aesthetics, they should still be acknowledged for
I was really amazed by the way they communicate – many of the figures
their importance.
Explosion Blue (2009)
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ally great, visceral sort of drum music they will connect with it right away. If you take those same kids and you pile on the artistic education they will eventually start appreciating other types of art. The more time you take with something or the more allowance you give to it the greater your appreciation can grow. THOMAS : Its kind of the difference between what exists on the most basic level and then what we can grow to appreciate in our lifeKELSEY : Yeah, a lot of what I am trying to do is
times as we evolve as people.
about reconciling those ideas. This might be totally
Above: The Storm (2009)
creating the wrong analogy or extending a meta-
KELSEY : You can appreciate anything if you
phor too far but it’s as if you play a beautiful Mozart
give it enough time.
sonata to a bunch of inner city kids anywhere in the
don’t want to go too far because then you
world. Maybe they wouldn’t really connect with it
just get into bullshitting… you have to draw
too much because they’re in a different place or
the line at something. For me its about ap-
have a different mindset. But if you give them a re-
preciating more and being open to more.
But then again you
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