Adi Michael is a multi-disciplinary artist whose language is drawn from a combination of pop art, surrealism and kitsch. His exuberant style is characterised by clarity and precision, and his aesthetic is based on a fascination with design and consumption.
As with his original paintings, Adi’s mixed media sculptures are hand painted with acrylics and spray, after which he uses a range of materials to highlight and enhance each piece such as inks and gold leaf. His inspirations and influences shift and change constantly but often juxtapose unexpected pairings: the ancient cultures of Egypt and Japan are flung together with modern typography, the legendary pop art of Haring, Warhol and Lichtenstein, music, nature and more.
Although his works are bright, uplifting and often amusing, Adi’s intention is to provoke a deeper, more thoughtful reaction. He himself has an internal conflict regarding such modern issues as consumerism, capitalism, wastefulness, celebrity culture and wealth. Like so many of us he loves the worlds of fashion and of passion products, but his critical artist’s eye sees through these things and raises questions about identity, morality and values. To square this circle, he appropriates symbols and motifs from these worlds to encourage us first to think and then to dream, to change from within and simply to believe that anything is possible.
Adi’s artistic style aspires to perfection, and as a meticulous draughtsman at heart, he makes extensive preparatory sketches and plans for each work. At present, he is concentrating largely on characters and objects from his own childhood - cartoons and gaming, comic books, cultural heroes and beloved icons, all of which symbolise a utopian world of dreams to him personally. With these works he seeks to explore the tension between fantasy and imagination on one hand and the more materialistic reality of the world we all inhabit.
Born and brought up in Tel Aviv where he still lives and works, Adi was always blessed with curiosity and passion and has spent his life exploring and experimenting with creative ideas, materials and techniques. As a child he was bewitched by the discovery that you could make art in a myriad different ways, a lesson he first learned when he created a whole world of light and shadow on a sheet of paper with coffee of various different strengths. Now a successful artist, he is known for creating art works that use varied materials and techniques, some of which he invents himself.
A self-taught artist, Adi worked for several years in theatre, becoming expert in a range of areas from lighting design to make-up. His fearless approach to colour was born in this environment and his love of design was fostered by the vibrant and artistic community he was a part of. He has exhibited at galleries and events all over the world.
“The figures I use all come from pop cultural references; they are used because they symbolise an era, or a form of social commentary. And I am not afraid of colour.”
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