"As a painter, my work inhabits the space between voyeurism and intimacy, capturing fleeting impressions that dissolve and reassemble into something raw yet deeply sensual. I begin with controlled moments-distorted glimpses of form and perspective-that I then scrape away, blur, or obscure, leaving traces that feel both elusive and familiar. This process is not about erasure but revelation, exposing the emotions that linger beneath the surface.Portraiture plays a central role, serving as a means to explore identity, desire, and the complexities of human connection. Faces and figures emerge in a state of flux, fragmented and reconfigured to reveal something beyond physical likeness-a psychological presence, a lingering emotion, or a moment suspended in time. My work is deeply personal, rooted in my experiences of sexuality and the ways it informs perception, intimacy, and the body.
Through my process, I aim to capture the tension between familiarity and abstraction, allowing controlled accidents to guide the narrative. Each portrait is less about a fixed identity and more about the sensations, desires, and subconscious connections it evokes-a quiet, intimate encounter with something both seen and felt."
Michael Angel is an American-Australian artist, born in Melbourne and based in New York City since 2001. A self-taught painter influenced by impressionism, cubism, and abstract expressionism, he reassembles and distorts the human form. Initially, he pioneered digital textile design-running his own label from 2007 to 2014-before fully transitioning to painting. His work, blending gestural abstraction with figuration and inspired by artists like Schiele, Munch, and Bacon, reached a new level with his 2018 exhibition "Home," where portraits based on childhood photographs evoke deep, layered emotion.