Fate of the Union: Mike Davis

Fate Of The Union

solo exhibition by Mike Davis

Opening Reception: September 8th, 6 - 8pm

On view: September 8th - 29th, 2018

Spoke NYC is pleased to present Fate Of The Union, a solo exhibition by San Francisco-based artist Mike Davis. We are thrilled to be exhibiting his work at our Lower East Side location after a 10 year exhibition hiatus in NYC. Fate Of The Union will be Davis’ inaugural solo exhibition at Spoke Art, where he will be exploring themes of social and political dichotomies.

The artist’s highly complex narrative based works are painted in the style of Flemish Primitives such as Bosch, Bruegel and van Eyck. Originating in the 15th century, painters from the Flemish Primitives movement blended elements of realism and symbolism, creating worlds and scenes that had  greater depth of emotional complexity than was ever seen before.

Davis’ paintings are full of symbolism referencing mortality, folly and egotism, creating rich scenes and storylines. Figures move across the landscape, building and carrying objects, busying themselves with bizarre tasks. Recurring elements are scattered throughout the landscapes, including keys, ufos, birds, snakes, ladybugs and butterflies. Hybrid creatures such as fish with legs and men with tree trunk heads inhabit this universe, creating an alternate reality that is surreal yet familiar.

Consisting of 15 oil paintings, the scenes are a combination of arcane personal symbolism and social and political commentary. In our current politically tumultuous times, the artist draws inspiration from the American political climate and the world at large, delving into the social divides of today to reflect our own reality though a new lens.

About the exhibition, Davis states, “my work depicts a world of myth and colliding timeframes, a land ‘on the other side of the bridge’ but one that resonates with our own - not as a memory but as a dream.”

Please join us Saturday, September 8th from 6 - 8pm for the opening reception of Fate Of The Union. The artist will be in attendance.

For more information, or additional images, please email us at nyc@spoke-art.com.