Mike Stasny
September 17 – October 8, 2016
I WOULDN'T GO THERE UNLESS I COULD FIT EVERYTHING SHE OWNS IN MY MOUTH
Atlanta-based artist Mike Stasny was selected by Tempus Projects as the August/September 2016 artist in residence.
A mid-westerner by birth, Mike has lived in Atlanta since 2012. Originally trained in graphic design while working primarily as a musician / music producer he transitioned into sculpture / installation / performance art in 2013.
Stasny's work takes on the form of surreal dioramas composed of raw building materials and items purchased from The Dollar Tree. His installations reference natural history museums, sci-fi, and his grandfather – an eccentric taxidermist whom let Mike play in his basement with numerous dead things while growing up. Prompted by party motifs and parodying human life, Mike Stasny’s performance work lampoon’s social experiences by inviting viewers into a bizarre world of costumes and installation. His most notorious work to date is “What What in the Butt” - a YouTube viral video that conflates homosexuality, blackness, and religion into an absurd / escapist cartoon-like universe. Coupled with an installation in the Tempus project space, his current performance art group IFLY performed on opening night.
Stasny received his BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design in 2003 and has since exhibited extensively and is associated with several art collectives. He has received commissions from Turner Broadcasting to install sculptures in the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta and has work in the City of Atlanta's permanent collection. Michael is associated with a variety of art collectives including the Dashboard Co-op, Goat Farm Art Center, and Knock Knock. He is also a founder of Sumptuary, an ongoing arts funding practice that supports, presents and promotes artists’ experience through non-commodifiable projects through “taxation” on consumables. A variety of publications have featured Michael’s work including Art Papers, St Louis Dispatch, Burnaway, and Creative Loafing.
“Tempus Projects gave me space, time and a community to interact with. I could have just stayed in the incredibly spacious resident apartment and play a loner (they offer this), but Tempus invited me to parties, and I had the opportunity to speak during studio visits and artist talks. These interactions outside of my typical “scene” in Atlanta reminded me that the creative world is very broad...and...not landlocked.”
