The work of Michael Pybus reimagines contemporary culture by remixing the icons, the brands and the franchises which infiltrate our lives. The artist explores the flattening out of history into an eternal present that is accelerated by our increasingly virtual environment and online presence. He creates ‘Frankenstein’ hybrids which appear reassuringly familiar yet decidedly warped. His paintings reinterpret highly successful global brands (like IKEA), artists (like Liechtenstein) and figures from popular and political culture (like Ariana Grande and Pepe the Frog) in order to investigate the circulation of the art market, the commodification of artists, and his own identity as an artist. His navigation between high and low culture (art versus entertainment and mass production) creates at first an instant relationship (point of recognition) with the audience by the use of seductive vocabulary and colours. However, the work gradually unravels a second, more unsettling layer of the many issues and problems we face today, such as virtual emptiness, the reduction of human interaction and the incessant communication through phone and screen. Our lives, our looks, our interests and opinions have all been gamified. Through collage, sculpture and painting, he allows his source material to deviate into new readings and narratives.
Artworks
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Highlights
Recommendations
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CV
Artworks by Michael Pybus
Media
Artist Michael Pybus in conversation with gowithYamo.
About
Meet the artist Michael Pybus
[...]"Nintendo managed to tap into a hardwired drive in us, collecting, and then ran with it to the extreme, resulting in Pókemon becoming the most successful entertainment franchise of all time, grossing $90 billion since it’s launch in 1996. Every few years it releases new games with new Pókemon to collect and you Gotta Catch ‘Em All! It’s relentless, constantly reinventing and finding new ways to monetize. As an artist who openly explores ideas of wealth, money and (over) abundance, I find the Pókemon phenomenon a fertile space to explore. Providing me with a pop culture vocabulary to reflect upon how artists and art are commodified and circulated in the market."
from: Date Eagle Art, by VANESSA MURRELL, 11/02/2019
VANESSA MURRELL
Michael Pybus
[...]"From his identity as an artist - the clichéd ‘original’ - to the hierarchies and identities we apply through our opinions, consumer choices and aesthetics, he explores the scaffolding that supports how we come to view, value and contextualize the wealth of competing information and options we are subjected to daily."
from: You Wanted a List, by Faris Mustafa, 17/04/2019
Faris Mustafa
Shows
Market position
Michael Pybus (°1982, UK) lives & works in London. He has a BA in Fine Arts from Goldsmiths College London and a MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art London. Recent exhibitions include ‘REALITY APATHY’, Tatjana Pieters Ghent (BE) , ‘soft play’, LUNGLEY London (UK), ‘I’m sure they have very different painting on their own walls’, Jelato Love, Palma, Mallorca (ES), ‘Anything can happen in life, especially nothing...’, Tatjana Pieters Ghent (BE), ‘HOLLOW’, Thierry Goldberg, NYC (US), ‘Pretend the world is funny and forever’, Amor, Mexico City (MX), ‘PEAK HUMAN’, Depart Foundation, LA (US). His work can be found in private collections in the USA, UK, Brazil, Japan, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Russia.
CV
EDUCATION
2006 - 08 Sculpture MA Royal College of Art, London UK
2001 - 04 Fine Art BA (Hons) Goldsmiths College, London UK
EXHIBITIONS
SOLO
2019 Forthcoming Tatjana Pieters, Ghent, BE (opens February 3rd)
2018 soft play LUNGLEY London, UK (runs until 18 Jan 2019)
I'm sure they have very different painting on their own walls Jelato Love, Palma, Mallorca Spain
2017 Anything can happen in life, especially nothing... Tatjana Pieters Ghent, BE
HOLLOW Thierry Goldberg NYC, USA
Pretend the world is funny and forever - Amor, Mexico City, MX
PEAK HUMAN - Depart Foundation LA, USA
A Hollywood Garden - The Cabin LA, USA
HIVE MIND - Jonathan Hopson Gallery Houston, USA
2016 CRUMPLE ZONE - Tatjana Pieters, Ghent BE
Karaoke - Carl Kostyal Stockholm, SWEDEN
Nowhere - Savingy Hotel Frankfurt, DE
2015 IF IT WORKS, IT'S OBSOLETE - Johannes Vogt NYC, USA
hubcaP sMiley feat F ·R ·I ·E ·N ·D ·S ✓Friends - Evelyn Yard London, UK
OUTDOOR SCULPTURE - Sol's Back Yard, Bushwick, NYC, USA
2014 In 3D the basil never wilts - Simon Oldfield Gallery HAPPY TIME Grovenor art comission, London UK
2013 WEAK END ohmydays, Singapore
QUICKSAND - Artereal Project Space, Sydney Australia
2012 WHITE GOODS - Schwartz Gallery Project Space, London UK
2011 just doing something - ANDOR, London UK
GROUP
2018 Vende Noticias 2007 - 2018 - Fundacion Calosa Irapuato, Guanajuto, MX
Market Forces - HERO Amsterdam, Netherlands
Crypto Currency - TOR Frankfurt, DE
XMAS COMA - Jelato Love, Palma, Mallorca Spain
Coccaro on Paper - Carl Kostyal Offsite Puglia, Italy
Fatal Attraction - Thamesside Gallery London, UK
Paper Works - Tatjana Pieters Ghent, BE
2017 Summer Hang Tatjana Pieters Gent, BE
Flowers - Plus One Antwerp, BE
In 3D the basil never wilts REMIX - Castor NYC, USA
Group show David B Smith Gallery Denver, USA
Searching for magic and the distorted image falling from your iCloud - The Dot Project London, UK
2016 Finally - Castor Gallery NY, USA
Thirsty Garten - The Composing Rooms, Berlin DE
The Names - Transition Gallery London, UK
2015 People You May Know - Bosse + Baum London, UK
I refuse to participate in failure - Spreez Munich, Germany
Business as Usual - Turf Projects, London, UK
Drops of Jupiter - Bannerette NYC, USA
Dimensions Variable - 84 Hatton Gardens London, UK
Business as usual - STCFTHOTS Leeds, UK
2014 The Drawer Col 7 The Drawer Paris, France
BOND STREET BAR - Max Wigram Gallery, London UK
BASIC BITCHES - Skylab, Columbus USA
EVENT HORIZON curated by Gino Saccone - Galerie Gabriel Rolt, Amsterdam Netherlands
Zinger Humdinger - Canal, London UK
The Honeymoon Suite - 'Michael Pybus KNOCK OFF SHOP feat Keith Allyn Spencer' Simon Oldfield Gallery, London UK
#Artistsbelike - Nurtureart, Brooklyn USA
Ride the Judd Act II - Hardy Tree Gallery, London UK
Ride the Judd Act I - Hardy Tree Gallery, London UK
Hangwoman - Schwartz Gallery, London UK
2013 CLICK + SPILL Artemis House Project Space, York UK
Apartment 4 - Clermont-ferrand France
THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU/I DID NOT CHOOSE TO BE HERE (Schopenhauer recalls the abrupt moment his mother was fertilized)-
Oliver Francis Gallery, Dallas USA
2012 Angelika Open - Angelika Studios, High Wycombe UK
2011 The Marmite Prize for Painting - The Nunnery, London UK (Touring)
The Marmite Prize for Painting - Lancaster Gallery Projects, Coventry UK (Touring)
2010 The Marmite Prize for Painting - Central Art Gallery, Tameside UK (Touring)
The Tomorrow People - Elevator Gallery, London UK
2009 Parade - Hamilton House, Bristol UK
MILL - Monika Bobinska, London UK
Breaking New - Five Hundred Dollars, London UK
2008 Robert Dowling - Tim Ellis - Nick Goss - Michael Pybus - Jia Jia Wang - Alexandre Pollazzon, London UK
An Experiment in Collaboration - Jerwood Space, London, UK
2007 New Build - Terrace gallery, London, UK
2006 Clincher - Cafe Space, Jerwood Space, London, UK
neon flips malibu crash - Dazed & Confused Gallery, London, UK
The Birthday Show - The Foundry, London, UK
Future First - The Residence, London, UK
Summer Sale - Fosterart, London, UK
Way out East - Tram Depot Gallery, London, UK
Works on Paper - Flux Factory, Long Island, New York, USA
Hallelujah! - The Tab Centre, London, UK
2005 Blue Tac and Chimney Sweeps - The Seabright Arms, London, UK
A Collection The Tab Centre - London, UK
The Hackney Artists - The Foundry, London, UK
The Housewarming - The Residence, London, UK
Summer Show - Fosterart London, UK
Summer Salon - Hackney Museum, London, UK
Island Art Film and Video Festival - Prenelle Gallery, London, UK
2006 - 08 Sculpture MA Royal College of Art, London UK
2001 - 04 Fine Art BA (Hons) Goldsmiths College, London UK
EXHIBITIONS
SOLO
2019 Forthcoming Tatjana Pieters, Ghent, BE (opens February 3rd)
2018 soft play LUNGLEY London, UK (runs until 18 Jan 2019)
I'm sure they have very different painting on their own walls Jelato Love, Palma, Mallorca Spain
2017 Anything can happen in life, especially nothing... Tatjana Pieters Ghent, BE
HOLLOW Thierry Goldberg NYC, USA
Pretend the world is funny and forever - Amor, Mexico City, MX
PEAK HUMAN - Depart Foundation LA, USA
A Hollywood Garden - The Cabin LA, USA
HIVE MIND - Jonathan Hopson Gallery Houston, USA
2016 CRUMPLE ZONE - Tatjana Pieters, Ghent BE
Karaoke - Carl Kostyal Stockholm, SWEDEN
Nowhere - Savingy Hotel Frankfurt, DE
2015 IF IT WORKS, IT'S OBSOLETE - Johannes Vogt NYC, USA
hubcaP sMiley feat F ·R ·I ·E ·N ·D ·S ✓Friends - Evelyn Yard London, UK
OUTDOOR SCULPTURE - Sol's Back Yard, Bushwick, NYC, USA
2014 In 3D the basil never wilts - Simon Oldfield Gallery HAPPY TIME Grovenor art comission, London UK
2013 WEAK END ohmydays, Singapore
QUICKSAND - Artereal Project Space, Sydney Australia
2012 WHITE GOODS - Schwartz Gallery Project Space, London UK
2011 just doing something - ANDOR, London UK
GROUP
2018 Vende Noticias 2007 - 2018 - Fundacion Calosa Irapuato, Guanajuto, MX
Market Forces - HERO Amsterdam, Netherlands
Crypto Currency - TOR Frankfurt, DE
XMAS COMA - Jelato Love, Palma, Mallorca Spain
Coccaro on Paper - Carl Kostyal Offsite Puglia, Italy
Fatal Attraction - Thamesside Gallery London, UK
Paper Works - Tatjana Pieters Ghent, BE
2017 Summer Hang Tatjana Pieters Gent, BE
Flowers - Plus One Antwerp, BE
In 3D the basil never wilts REMIX - Castor NYC, USA
Group show David B Smith Gallery Denver, USA
Searching for magic and the distorted image falling from your iCloud - The Dot Project London, UK
2016 Finally - Castor Gallery NY, USA
Thirsty Garten - The Composing Rooms, Berlin DE
The Names - Transition Gallery London, UK
2015 People You May Know - Bosse + Baum London, UK
I refuse to participate in failure - Spreez Munich, Germany
Business as Usual - Turf Projects, London, UK
Drops of Jupiter - Bannerette NYC, USA
Dimensions Variable - 84 Hatton Gardens London, UK
Business as usual - STCFTHOTS Leeds, UK
2014 The Drawer Col 7 The Drawer Paris, France
BOND STREET BAR - Max Wigram Gallery, London UK
BASIC BITCHES - Skylab, Columbus USA
EVENT HORIZON curated by Gino Saccone - Galerie Gabriel Rolt, Amsterdam Netherlands
Zinger Humdinger - Canal, London UK
The Honeymoon Suite - 'Michael Pybus KNOCK OFF SHOP feat Keith Allyn Spencer' Simon Oldfield Gallery, London UK
#Artistsbelike - Nurtureart, Brooklyn USA
Ride the Judd Act II - Hardy Tree Gallery, London UK
Ride the Judd Act I - Hardy Tree Gallery, London UK
Hangwoman - Schwartz Gallery, London UK
2013 CLICK + SPILL Artemis House Project Space, York UK
Apartment 4 - Clermont-ferrand France
THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU/I DID NOT CHOOSE TO BE HERE (Schopenhauer recalls the abrupt moment his mother was fertilized)-
Oliver Francis Gallery, Dallas USA
2012 Angelika Open - Angelika Studios, High Wycombe UK
2011 The Marmite Prize for Painting - The Nunnery, London UK (Touring)
The Marmite Prize for Painting - Lancaster Gallery Projects, Coventry UK (Touring)
2010 The Marmite Prize for Painting - Central Art Gallery, Tameside UK (Touring)
The Tomorrow People - Elevator Gallery, London UK
2009 Parade - Hamilton House, Bristol UK
MILL - Monika Bobinska, London UK
Breaking New - Five Hundred Dollars, London UK
2008 Robert Dowling - Tim Ellis - Nick Goss - Michael Pybus - Jia Jia Wang - Alexandre Pollazzon, London UK
An Experiment in Collaboration - Jerwood Space, London, UK
2007 New Build - Terrace gallery, London, UK
2006 Clincher - Cafe Space, Jerwood Space, London, UK
neon flips malibu crash - Dazed & Confused Gallery, London, UK
The Birthday Show - The Foundry, London, UK
Future First - The Residence, London, UK
Summer Sale - Fosterart, London, UK
Way out East - Tram Depot Gallery, London, UK
Works on Paper - Flux Factory, Long Island, New York, USA
Hallelujah! - The Tab Centre, London, UK
2005 Blue Tac and Chimney Sweeps - The Seabright Arms, London, UK
A Collection The Tab Centre - London, UK
The Hackney Artists - The Foundry, London, UK
The Housewarming - The Residence, London, UK
Summer Show - Fosterart London, UK
Summer Salon - Hackney Museum, London, UK
Island Art Film and Video Festival - Prenelle Gallery, London, UK