Michael Rey
b. in 1979, Sarasota, USA
lives and works in Los Angeles, USA
Michael Rey describes his artwork as drawing and sculptural wall works. He begins with a practice of automatic drawings—an open-ended method developed in the early 20th Century. This instinctive process results in objects that seem familiar, yet unrecognizable. Rey is interested in art as a place of tension and welcomes viewers’ psychological engagement with the work, whatever associations they may bring. He is interested in the human need to rationalize the inexplicable, the ability to ascribe features to abstraction. By design, Rey’s shapes can be seen as organic, mechanical, primordial, and futuristic at all once.
With these anthropomorphic forms, Michael Rey offers engaging textures as another tangible entry point for viewers.
EDUCATION
2008
MFA, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, USA
2002
BFA, Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota, USA
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017
Office Baroque, Brussels, BE
2016
“Plydis Kave”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
2015
Office Baroque, Brussels, BE
“About a Work #4”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
“OMES”, Cherry and Martin, Los Angeles, CA
2014
“Michael Rey”, Cherry and Martin, Los Angeles, USA
“IBJECT”, Room East, New York, USA
2011
“Dracula Plus Plus”, Young Art, Los Angeles, USA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
Gene’s Presents “1TB Verbatim: Los Angeles Timing 2013-2025”, Leroy’s, Los Angeles, CA
Visiting Faculty Exhibition, Center for Art and Research (CFAR), University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Electric Mixer, Ditch Projects, Eugene, OR
That was Now, Placed, Livingston, MT
“The Beautiful Room is Empty,” RecRoom, Eugene, Oregon
2023
Finish Fetish, COLLABORATIONS, Copenhagen, Denmark
2022
“Michael Rey and Ian Trout”, Radical Patience, Los Angeles, USA
2022
“Black and White: Contemporary Art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation”, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, USA
2021
“PANDEMIC”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
“of clocks and clouds”, PALFREY, London, UK
2020
“The Essential Goods Show”, Fisher Parrish Gallery, Brooklyn, USA
2019
“It’s All Black and White: Contemporary Art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation”, Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Malibu, USA
2018
“Black & White & In Between”, curated by Billie Milam Weisman, Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, USA
“Do Something to it, Do Something else to it.”, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
2017
“Process and Reality: Contemporary Art from the Permanent Collection”, Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA
2016
“Top Heavy”, Cherry and Martin, Los Angeles, USA
“The Congregation”, Jack Hanley Gallery, New York, USA
“They Want EFX”, Neuer-Kunstverein-Wein, Wien, AT
2015
“Rio”, Office Baroque, Brussels, BE
“Crunchy”, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, USA
2014
“Where were you?”, Lisson Gallery, London, UK
“Green Circle, Black Diamond”, Ratio 3, San Francisco, USA
“Hephaestus”, Office Baroque, Brussels, BE
2013
“Alexandre da Cunha, Michael Rey, Michael Williams, B. Wurtz”, Office Baroque, Antwerp, BE
2012
“Chasm of the Supernova”, Center for the Arts Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, USA
2010
“Ooga Booga Reading Room”, Swiss Institute Contemporary Art, New York, USA
2009
“Is What It Is What It Is”, Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, USA
“Sculpture Park”, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
2008
“Cocktail Hour with Skip Arnold and Friends”, Bonelli Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA
2007
“My Buddy”, UCLA New Wight Biennial, New Wight Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
