Mike Chattem
“Working off my whims I make paintings concerned with depicting personal and psychological observations while exploring the physical and tactile properties of surface and dimension.
In my latest paintings I stack layers of foam core onto panels and meticulously carve out shallow reliefs that get painted into, rearranged and mixed with trompe l'oeil colored pencil drawings. The resulting dimensionality and textures come together to form an illusory playfulness that celebrates in person interaction. They’re sort of like LSD inspired dioramas mixed with popcorn ceilings, very American, kind of gross and fun to look at.”
Born in Queens, NY 1988, lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Chattem holds a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Recent exhibitions include Shitty Heaven at Santa Josefina in Los Angeles, CA, Forging Ahead at The Brewhouse Association in Pittsburgh, PA, Galaxy Brain at Santa Josefina in Los Angeles, CA Flat Files 2020 at Ortega Y Gasset Projects in Brooklyn, NY and Everything But The Kitschen Sink at La Luz De Jesus in Los Angeles, CA.
