Michael McGrath: Night Float: Curated by WANG Yaoli
Michael McGrath's works are influenced by his curiosity for religion, mythology, and mysticism, at the same time, it reflects his observations and reflections on secular topics.
BONIAN SPACE is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in China, Night Float, by the artist Michael McGrath from August 5th to September 12th, 2023. Curated by Wang Yaoli, the exhibition features the artist's oil paintings and mixed media on paper works created in recent years.
When animism was put forward by the German philosopher Georg Ernst Stahl in the 17th century, its advocates believed that everything has life, soul, or spirit. Although the controversy surrounding animism has continued until now, this concept represents another perspective of human cognition of the world. In a way that distinguishes it from modern science, animism offers a more poetic and humane interpretation of how humans give life and spirit to "things."
In McGrath's paintings, trees, houses, clouds, and many unnamed bizarre "beings," originally without sensory functions or awareness, are endowed with human eyes, noses, and mouths. Through his art, McGrath establishes a connection and perception with these "beings," allowing them to perceive the world in a human-like way. Although this relationship is extended outward from his own experiences, it maps the most authentic emotional experiences of life and the world for him.
Just like Michael McGrath, who explores themes of death and decay in his creations, he believes that all endings bring rebirth and hope. The exhibition's Chinese title, "Chì Yǎn," refers to the eye-like patterns on butterfly wings, also important symbols frequently seen in McGrath's paintings. The butterfly's wing eyes represent the eyes of nature. Through this exhibition, Chì Yǎn, the audience is invited to rediscover life, nature, and the world through Michael McGrath's paintings, guided by his gentle and equal vision.