STATEMENT
Michael S. Angulo
I view our world as a kaleidoscopic network of functions or mechanisms constantly redirecting energy in a conspiracy of recombinant self-exploration. A world ruled by physics while infused with imagination and emotion. A world plagued by greed and inequality yet simultaneously teeming with selflessness and love. It is frustratingly paradoxical but equally intellectually and emotionally intoxicating. This is the balance or cosmic order, within which we choose our way. In this world of chaos and order, the artist is the vehicle for memory and meaning through cultural interpretation and sensory titillation.
Since childhood, my mind has been bombarded by the ever-increasing flood of information and technology associated with our modern society. At an early age I found solace in illustrating the array of superheroes and characters from the cartoons, comic books, and video games with which I spent much time. Originally, I had dreamed of an artistic career in the comic book industry yet, the more knowledge my growing brain aquired, the greater my curiosity became: Eventually eclipsing my boyhood hopes of depicting what -at that point- seemed like trivial superheroic escapades. Before I knew it, I was engaged in a quest for answers to the basic query of truth regarding the intimate workings of -and my creative place within- our universe.
Eclectically selected college courses supplied me with countless items of information with which I rounded out my world view yet, deep down, I found I was fixated on the numerous phenomenal aspects of our shared reality. Only through the extremes can one hope to truly perceive and comprehend the totality of either subject or object. Unfortunately, there are few college courses devoted to such fringe subjects as forbidden archaeology, conspiracy, cryptozoology, ufology, mysticism, or exobiology. Therefore, I was left to my own resources.
The result is a creative individual with a unique yet, well-educated world view who draws inspiration from an eclectic pool of subjects and styles ranging from tribalism to technology, mysticism to physics, mandalas to masterworks, and from the abstract to the surreal. However, I primarily identify with the surrealist approach. When one looks at the surrealist piece, he/she is compelled to decipher the curious associations of imagery, as there is an imposing intimation of deeper meaning contained within those associations. It's like an inside joke or secret, which one can figure out if he/she pays close enough attention. This is the intrinsic quality I attempt to emulate in my creative process. I hope the result of this attempt will engage the viewer in a more substantial discourse or exchange.
Like many of us, my overall objective is to explore our human origins in an attempt to more fully understand our present civilization's precarious situation, and then express my thoughts and emotions through artistic means. I've often thought if I had not decided to pursue the way of the artist, I would now be a scientist. This inclination is evinced in my work which itself is infused with references to energy systems, cosmological mechanisms, organismic and technological envelopes, and socio-ecological sustainability: all orchestrated with a sense of mathematical discipline.
In my work I attempt to communicate with the viewer concerns over what I perceive of as an utterly fantastic, yet also deeply troubled collective human psyche. Utilizing both discreet and overt symbols, I engineer most overall structures to read like a pictograph or heiroglyph; hopefully engaging the viewer not only aesthetically, but intellectually as well.
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