2 Fangirls and a Studio Visit
Michael Scoggins
I first encountered Michael Scoggins’ work in 2012. While roaming the streets of Chelsea, I stopped into Freight + Volume gallery where US AGAINST THEM: The War Between The Classes was currently on exhibit. I was fascinated with the politically charged images and text on large scale notebook paper. It was as if a giant child had doodled his way from the boredom of the classroom to the white walls of the gallery. I had finally encountered something in the New York art world that was refreshingly original. I needed to see and know more. I was in luck. Scoggins gave a gallery talk that evening and I became an instant fan and follower of his work and career.
America’s Favorite Drawing
2012
graphite, marker, colored pencil on paper
67”X51”
The gallery made images available from former shows. I was fascinated with the American Family series where Scoggins inserted himself into the family portraits of Americans differing in race and/or ethnicity. Michael S.’s white skin and blond hair stands out against the other family members. By pointing out the differences, he illustrated our similarities.
All-American Family I
2007
crayon, colored pencil on paper
67”X51”
Image courtesy of Michael Scoggins
All-American Family II
2007
crayon, colored pencil on paper
67”X51”
Image courtesy of Michael Scoggins
All-American Family IV
2007
crayon, colored pencil on paper
67”X51”
Image courtesy of Michael Scoggins
In the summer of 2015, artist and curator, Chris Bors posted a photograph on Facebook of an artist talk for Dirty Words. Scoggins had partnered with an old friend Joe Naneshe for a two-man show at Victori + Mo’s pop-up space. Scoggins’ career had blown up – he was in the permanent collection at MoMA and his prices had gone up a digit since our first encounter. Though Dirty Words was exhibited in the summer, it was at the caliber of a show in the high season in Chelsea.
No More Fucks To Give
2015
graphite on paper
Image courtesy of Michael Scoggins
After viewing Dirty Words’ last hour of its last day, I had the opportunity to visit Scoggins’ studio in the heat of the summer and later that year, visit Scoggins at the exhibition, Maker Marks – co-curated with his wife, Alex Gingrow.
Maker Marks
Installation View
Image courtesy of Michael Scoggins
Maker Marks
Installation View
Image courtesy of Michael Scoggins
In 2016, Melissa Coleman visited New York from London to exhibit her work in the group show, Coded_Couture at Pratt Manhattan Gallery. I invited her join me the next day to visit Scoggins’ Greenpoint studio. I also wanted to give her the opportunity to meet another artist during her brief visit to New York.
MC Stevens
Melissa Coleman with
First Look Is Free
2016
wax pastel, chalk, pastel, slate paint on panel
24”X18”
Image by Arcade Project
“At 34, you’ve already thought a lot about New York, especially if you’ve never been there. Movies make you think you know New York. You think you want to end up there, and you might – if you make it. This year I’d finally made it just enough that someone wanted to fly me over. I’d promised myself I would never come to New York again in February. I’d been there for a day the year before, but had only seen the Kickstarter headquarters. Yet here I was again in February when the city is near inhabitable. But I was flown over, and you take of New York what you can get.
I imagined the city flashier, bigger, pompous. Instead it felt like a smaller, cooler version of London. Less suburban and grittier, though more self-aware and congratulatory. I’d met with Charlene a few nights earlier when she took me on a wild ride through the city to go to a party — that we soon found out was the wrong kind of party – beware of invitations that outlaw glitter. Whatever, I didn’t mind. The mundane is super interesting abroad. Just about everything had a New York shine to it.
When Charlene invited me along on her studio visit to see Michael, of course I said yes. I’m a curious person and anthropologically inclined. I wanted to know what a New York artist’s studio life was like. When we got to the place my attention shifted to Michael’s work, which is much more interesting than his studio (though his studio is great and I want it). He showed us his pieces and took us through his process. How he draws his lines that mimic industrial notebooks. His favorite brand of markers that don’t fade as fast as others. The stress of exhibiting your work when your medium is large pieces of paper that essentially pose as things you might casually throw away if only they were smaller. I always think of electronic clothes as some of the hardest objects to put in shows and I envy other artists with a simpler medium. It was nice to be reminded that every medium has its quirks and stressors. Knowing that Charlene wanted to do an interview with Michael, but was busy working her camera, I started asking Michael questions.”
Michael Scoggins with
Nice F.U.C.K.
2015
graphite, colored pencil on paper
67″X51″
(left)
First Look Is Free
2016
wax pastel, chalk, pastel, slate paint on panel
24”X18”
(right)
Image by Arcade Project
Arcade Project: What are your current projects?
Michael Scoggins: I’m currently part of a two-person show with Alex Gingrow at Ersnt Hilger/Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, New Jersey. Galerie Ernst Hilger is a gallery I work with in Vienna, Austria and this show is at their U.S. satellite space. Alex and I are married and the primary concept of the show deals with how artists live together, how we influence each other’s work but also maintaining individual studio practices and personas. It runs through April 25th, 2016.
http://manacontemporary.com/2016-ernst-hilger
Alex and I are also trying on our curatorial hat. We’ve brought together some amazing artists for an exhibition titled Maker Marks. It’s about work that takes time not only to make but also read into to. In today’s world were art fairs are the norm and attention spans are getting shorter we need to take a pause and really look at art and this work fits the bill. We’re excited because the show is now traveling. It was first exhibited at Brooklyn Fire Proof in Bushwick, Brooklyn and it was recently exhibited at Penn State, PA. We are now in talks to travel it to other locations, stay tuned.
http://www.bfpcreative.com/maker-marks/
AP: What excites you about your work at the moment?
MS: I’m currently working mostly with text. It’s been great to delve into the meaning of words but also how they visually make up a composition. I’m exploring the power language in a visual medium. I’ve also recently rediscovered the joy of working with graphite and have been applying it in dense applications. The beautiful sheen of graphite next to and on top of text creates a tension that I’m really enjoying.
Michael Scoggins and Melissa Coleman in the studio
Image by Arcade Project
AP: Your work is playful and relatable as everyone remembers doodling as young children. Why did you want to revisit your youth in your practice?
MS: The work I make is intensely personal and political and I realized that if I were to tackle these subjects I’d need a way to present them in a manner that would disarm the viewer. Using a naïve persona allows me a comfort in discussing uncomfortable things. Children don’t yet have the internal filters we as adults have and will speak their minds. The enlarged notebook format allows access through an object that is familiar to most people. There’s honesty in presenting work in this way.
Tools of The Trade
Image by Arcade Project
AP: Who is Michael S. to you now?
MS: Michael S. is still a youthful and less inhibited version of myself but I feel we’ve grown closer over the years. The more confident I’ve become over the years as an artist the less Michael S. has become necessary to speak upon my behalf. I see him now more as a symbol of youthful wonder that isn’t scared to ask questions and ask us to never settle.
AP: You use pop culture imagery in your work, but you don’t position yourself there. Is it strange when someone like JJ Abrams buys your work or is it coming full circle?
Droids
2010
marker, colored pencil on paper
67’X51”
Image courtesy of Michael Scoggins
MS: I think of my use of pop culture imagery as another tool to comment on society and create accessibility. I’ve been fortunate to have a visual language that many people can relate too and it’s led to a supportive group of collectors that I appreciate greatly.
AP: How do you see your relationship to pop culture now?
MS: I love many things that are considered pop culture! I especially love movies and comic books. My task is to blur the line between what is considered high and low brow while making social commentary.
Michael Scoggins, born in Washington D.C. in 1973, holds an MFA in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He also attended the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine in the summer of 2003. His works frequently depict icons of American pop culture and his drawings mimic a child’s aesthetic. He has shown extensively, gained international recognition and has work in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Hammer Museum. Michael Scoggins currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Melissa Coleman is an artist, curator and creative technologist specialised in fashion tech and connected objects. In her art and exhibitions she critically explores the relationship of fashion, politics and technology. She exhibits worldwide and her work has been covered by New Scientist, Wired, The Guardian, Vogue.com, Fast Company and Dezeen. She co-founded Rotterdam’s V2_ E-textile Workspace and London’s E-Stitches meetup at the V&A Museum. She is part of the core team that created Hackaball, a connected ball that teaches kids coding, one of Time Magazines best inventions of 2015.