Mike Binzer

CREATIO EX NIHILO XV + zoom	CREATIO EX NIHILO III + zoom	CREATIO EX NIHILO VIII + zoom	CREATIO EX NIHILO XVII + zoom
CREATIO EX NIHILO XI + zoom	CREATIO EX NIHILO XIV + zoom	CREATIO EX NIHILO II + zoom	CREATIO EX NIHILO XVI + zoom
CREATIO EX NIHILO IX + zoom	CREATIO EX NIHILO X + zoom	Figure Study #2 + zoom	Figure Study #5 + zoom
Figure Study #6 + zoom	Figure Study #9 + zoom	Figure Study #11 + zoom	Figure Study #12 + zoom
Against and Toward Nothingness IV + zoom	Against and Toward Nothingness II + zoom	Against and Toward Nothingness VII + zoom	Study in Grey IX + zoom
Study in Grey VII + zoom	Study in Grey VIII + zoom	Study in Grey X + zoom	Study in Grey XI + zoom
Study in Grey XIII + zoom	Study in Grey XIV + zoom	Study in Grey XVI + zoom	Study in Grey XX + zoom
Study in Grey XXI + zoom	Study in Grey XXII + zoom	Study in Grey XXIII + zoom	Study in Grey XXIX + zoom

Artist Statement

What sort of freak then is man! How novel, how monstrous, how chaotic, how paradoxical, how prodigious! Judge of all things, feeble earthworm, repository of truth, sink of doubt and error, glory and refuse of the universe!
- Blaise Pascal

Throughout the course of human history, we have constantly been curious about ourselves, wondering who and what we are. I have taken up that tradition of wondering in a personal study I have come to call Philosophical Anthropology – to borrow from Jean-Paul Sartre. In short, it is a study of the nature and essence of humankind. I cut away environment, culture, society, beliefs, individuality, and identity to dissect the image of a human being down to its minimum, to come to the most common denominator of humankind. One cannot aim at a particular person in the painting; rather, what one sees in the work is a quasi-observation: a depiction of humankind-in-general through the simulacrum of one-in-particular. My work is deliberately raw and primitive, symbolic of the fact humankind has not really evolved: we continue to eat, sleep, labor, shit and die just as our earliest ancestors did. The visceral qualities of the paint are exploited as a metaphor of the constant bond we have to, and the fragility of, our bodies.

Biography

Michael Binzer was born in 1980 and in 1997 studied at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, graduating with distinction in 1999. He continued to dance professionally with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for two years. Making a career shift in 2001, Mike studied at the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) and graduated with distinction in the spring of 2006. He was honored with the Painting Major Award of Excellence (2006), and nominated for the Board of Governor's Award (2006). His first solo exhibition was at ACAD's Gallery 371 (2005) and has participated in various group shows in Calgary. In the Spring of 2008, he began showing with Axis Contemporary Art in Calgary. Learning to play the didgeridoo in his spare time, Mike currently lives and works in Calgary.

What is your artwork about (underlying concept, focus, themes, intent, etc)?

I usually counter this question with, “what do you think the work is about?” But in broad terms my work is deals with Human Existence and what it means to be Human.

What informs your artwork or what are your influences?

Philosophical works by Martin Heidegger, Jean Paul Sartre, and others. Currently, I’m studying Sartre’s “Being and Nothingness.”

Do you feel you need to position your work within the context of art history and if so what’s your take on that?

I don’t feel a need per say. I’d rather someone else position my work in some context of art history. That said, I think it’s important to have an awareness of that context; knowing where you are gives you something to push against to break new ground or reclaiming old as the case may be.

Is there a trigger or a starting point for each piece?

Each series that I do begins with an idea. The idea is fleshed out with decisions about how it should be portrayed, what materials are to be used, how big or small the series will be, etc. As the work begins to materialize, each new piece feeds of all others that came prior to it, trying to recreate things that worked and correct things that didn’t. The initial idea is always in my mind, but the work evolves organically.

What mediums, techniques, or processes are involved in your art making (and why these)?

The two mediums I work with primarily are Encaustic and Oil. Encaustic is, of course, a technique of painting with molten wax that dates back to 100BC – 300 CE with the Fayum mummy portraits. The cooled encaustic also reminds me of the body: skin, and flesh. Naturally, the fat of the body is the oil paint. Oil paint too caries that sense of tradition and history, taking hold as the dominant painting medium in the early renaissance. Yet, despite any sense of history, or conceptual ideas relating the materials to the body, my primary reason for working with these materials is their physical qualities and what I can coax them to do.

What are your other passions in life and how have these influenced your work?

Prior to becoming a painter, I had trained as a ballet dancer for 16 years or so and danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. I think my passion for dance, which I haven’t done for over 7 years now, transferred to painting. I think my curiosity and understanding of the human body also came from that time in my life.

Why are you an artist?

I’ve been an artist in one form or another for most of my life, I don’t think I know any other way to be.

Education

• 2009 - 2011
  Master of Fine Art, The University of Regina, Department of Visual Arts, Regina, SK
• 2006
  B.F.A with Distinction in painting. The Alberta College of Art & Design, Calgary
• 1999
  Graduated with Distinction from The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School

Scholarships / Awards

• 2006
  Painting Major Award of Excellence, The Alberta College of Art & Design
  Board of Governor's Award Nominee, The Alberta College of Art & Design
• 2004 & 2005
  Jason Lang Scholarship, The Government of Alberta

Solo Exhibitions

• 2008
  Unconcealed Being. Axis Contemporary Art, Calgary
• 2006
  At the Edge of the Void. Marion Nicoll Gallery, Calgary
  Untitled Exhibition. Bushido Tattoo, Calgary
• 2005
  In Search of the Sacred. Gallery 371, Calgary

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2009
  Nine: a group show at the Marquee Room. The Marquee Room, Calgary
• 2008
  Untitled Exhibition. Axis Contemporary Art, Calgary
• 2007
  Calgary Timeraiser. Victoria’s Lounge, Calgary
• 2006
  ACAD Graduating Students' Show. Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary
  ACAD Spring 2006 Award Ceremony. The Alberta College of Art & Design, Calgary
  Who's Who, Who's New?. Artspace Gallery, Calgary
  Daydream Reality. Gallery 371, Calgary (two person)
• 2005
  3rd Year Painting Show. The Alberta College of Art & Design, Calgary
• 2004
  2nd Year Painting Show. Gallery 371, Calgary
  Please Spill the Wine: A Celebration of the Free Spirit. Blomfield Manor, Calgary (two person)
  Mail art expo - Frida Kahlo. Comune Di Trezzano Rosa, Italy

Media

• 2008
  "Unconcealed Binzer" The Reflector. October, 2008
  “Art of the Day,” www.creepmachine.com. May 7, 2008
  Work appeared in “Class Act,” Avenue Calgary. April 2008

Professional Experience

• 2009
  Gallery Technician, Triangle Gallery, Calgary
• 2007 - 2008
  Volunteer, assist with gallery maintenance, The Stride Gallery, Calgary
• 2007
  Volunteer, The Permanent Collection. The Instigation Station, Calgary
• 2006
  Volunteer, Theo Sims: The Candahar. Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary
• 1999- 2001
  Apprentice / Corpos de Ballet, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Independent Research

• 2007
  Travel to Venice (Biennale) and Rome
• 2006
  Travel to Montreal