My solo exhibit “Atavistic Impulses b/w Tales of the Unheimlich” is now on view at Council St. Gallery in Los Angeles. The show includes new paintings, drawings, and sculptures, and runs through November 9.
Atavistic Impulses b/w Tales of the Unheimlich
October 5th thru November 9th
Council St Gallery: 3019 Council St (or thereabouts) LA CA 90026 www.councilst.com
gallery hours: Sat and Sun, 1 to 5 and by appointment
“Michael Coughlan works with wry humor and unexpected logic to upturn familiar horizons and spark fresh connections. His work is slippery by design and sometimes I wonder if that may be its point.
He subverts the sobriety of logic and the sincerity of structure with a hint of farce. His work is concise, disciplined and populated with common objects turned slightly on their head. By combining culturally nondescript things in specific ways he’s able to uncompress and transform the commonplace.
There’s a credible, stripped-down sure-footedness to his work that feels at home in the thin-aired realm of ideas. It’s from this place that Coughlan lets his conceptual constructions crack or resonate under the weight of their own logic. What gets revealed during this stress and friction is the strange ability to experience novelty among familiar things.
Moreover, this unique capacity spotlights our interpretive processes as primarily active and creative rather than passive or generic. In this way, Coughlan’s work helps to humanize the narrow bridge that connects art and conceptual shenanigans, making the playful and absurd feel accessible and meaningful.”
- Tyler Vlahovich
