Michael Rey: ZOLLEDAZI 2021

Philip Martin Gallery is proud to present “ZOLLEDAZI 2021,” an exhibition of new sculptural wall works by Los Angeles-based artist, Michael Rey. Michael Rey’s solid, yet ephemeral works evoke mystery, wonder, creativity, and the communicative possibilities of human expression. 

Michael Rey’s anthropomorphic works engage texture and vibrant color as tangible entry points for the viewer, offering a continuation of his interest in shape, color, edge, and form. Inspired by previous freestanding sculptural experiments, Rey’s works are constructed from shaped wood wall reliefs, then painted with vivid oil color. Like the sculptural works from which these draw their inspiration, he has painted both the face and edge of the wall reliefs, creating dynamic pairings of color. This pairing accentuates the graphic quality of each form, producing an illusion of volume that accompanies and enlivens each form. Pulling on intuition and instinct, Rey writes, “I make an effort to keep the process as spontaneous as possible. I try to let myself be guided by the tactility of the materials.”

The ambiguity of Michael Rey’s works is also expressed through his use of invented titles. Often referring to a written list of imagined words, Rey attempts to create terms that are not tethered to a meaning outside of the work. “I believe using these new words gives the object its own language,” he comments, “I think it is important for artists to have a fluidity of what defines an artwork and consider their own terms of the objects they create.”

Influenced by Robert Rauschenberg's “combines” or the work of Brice Marden, Michael Rey’s works elicit an abstract lyricality. “I am interested in the object-ness of painting just as much as in sculpture,” Rey writes. “However, I’m also interested in the limitations that define these categories.” This juncture within Rey’s work emphasizes the relationship between opposing elements and offers a meditation. In this sense, Rey is interested in the human need to rationalize the inexplicable, the ability to ascribe features to abstraction. By design, Rey’s shapes can be seen as organic, mechanical, primordial, and futuristic at all once.

Michael Rey (b. 1979, Sarasota, FL) received his BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, FL) in 2002 and his MFA from Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, CA) in 2008. Rey’s work will be included in upcoming exhibitions with PALFREY (London, UK), and ZERO… (Milan, Italy). Rey's work has been included in recent solo and group exhibitions at such museums and galleries as Philip Martin Gallery (Los Angeles, CA); Fredrick R. Weisman Museum of Art (Los Angeles, CA), Office Baroque (Brussels, Belgium), Lisson Gallery (London, UK), and the Swiss Institute of Contemporary Art (New York, NY). His work is in the collections of such museums as Weisman Art Museum (Minneapolis, MN), MoMCA Trento and Rovereto (Trento, Italy), Sabanci Museum (Istanbul, Turkey), ADN Collection (Bolzano, Italy), and Weisman Foundation (Los Angeles, CA).  His work has been featured in numerous publications including T Magazine, Artribune, and Mousse Magazine. Rey lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

Michael Rey’s exhibition is on-line through July 7, 2021. Holly Coulis’s exhibition of new oil paintings and sculptures is on view at the gallery May 21 – July 2, 2021.

Philip Martin Gallery is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10-4 and by appointment. Pre-scheduled appointments are available, and walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment, or to get additional images, or information please email info@philipmartingallery.com, or call 310-559-0100. Philip Martin Gallery is located at 2712 S. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034 in the Culver City area of Los Angeles between Venice Blvd. and Washington Blvd., just south of the 10 Freeway.