It’s not every day that I get to work on an exhibition with one of my favorites artists. On this occasion Trailer Park Proyects is proud to present Colonialism a small format individual exhibition by New York based artist Michael Scoggins. The exhibition’s title emphasizes on the Island’s current political situation as well as the republican presidential race which has brought to Puerto Rico visit by front runners Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum which came to the Island looking for support but by speaking of some untouchable subjects regarding our culture, status and language they are making fools out of themselves. Michael presents this politically filled exhibition where we can see and appreciate his political message and understand it is not only for the USA but his works are much more relevant to Puerto Rico situation as well.
I have followed the career of Michael ever since I started working in the art world and it blew my mind away the first time I read about his works on New American Paintings publication where he was featured while a student at Savannah College of Art and Design. I couldn’t figure out the works right then and there because the dimensions of his works are not easy to imagine even if you read them. When looking at drawings that look like a 10 year old did them it is not easy to imagine them in a big scale as Michel’s drawings. The paper looks like an 8x11 loose leaf but when you see the real thing you understand that the paper is a handmade loose leaf that looks like it was torn off a trapper keeper of a 20 foot giant.
The first time I actually saw one of his works in person was at Circa 06 Art Fair in the Puerto Rico Convention Center. I immediately fell in love with his work and the realness and honesty in it. I had long been a fan of works by Daniel Johnston and Raymond Pettibon and Manuel Hernandez Acevedo, Jose Ruiz and Stanley Coll locally. Their naïve style is very childish but all of their works are about their insecurities and views on topics ranging from politics to family.
I searched for Michael through the internet for years without luck but I remembered my friend Javier Acosta whom is an artist and an art teacher at Universidad del Sagrado Corazon and the University of Puerto Rico, Recinto de Carolina who studied with him at Savannah and he got a hold of his contact number and bought a small drawing from him for my personal collection.
This is a drawing exhibition where Michael will show more than 10 pieces that are mostly studies for the bigger pieces. The drawings exhibited, have political content and contain in them an inner look at Michael’s thoughts and views of certain social problems and personal situations.
Scoggins who graduated with a MFA from Savannah and also was granted a fellowship at Skowhegen Art School in NYC which is one of the most sought after residencies for emerging artists. His are part of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York (http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?artistFilterInitial=E&criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A28799&page_number=1&template_id=10&sort_order=1), Hammer Museum in Los Angles as well as the Telfair Museum in Georgia. He also won the emerging artist prize at Pulse Art Fair in 2003.
Last year when we dicided to do this show, he was the resident artist at Savannah where he conducted a project called a drawing a day where he left a small drawing daily on his studio door for people to pick up free of charge on a first come first serve basis. After a few weeks some students started leaving drawings in his door as exchange for the ones he was giving away and the project took its own mutation and reinvented itself to a free artwork exchange between students. I actually sent drawings from Puerto Rican artists Aby Ruiz (www.abyruiz.com), Admin Torres (www.admintorres.com) and Aslan (www.aslanblogger.blogspot.com) to participate in that great initiative of a project. Michael was kind enough to send me a few small drawings of his and from some of the students at Savannah. After that nice gesture I knew I had to work at some point in my career with him and here we are a few days before opening.
He is currently represented by a fist full of galleries including Saltworks (www.saltwork.com) where I went to see his exhibition titled Family Values and I reviewed it for Trance Liquido check out the link to the article. (http://www.tranceliquido.com/family-values-exhibicion-individual-del-artista-michael-scoggins/) Also represented by Freight & Volume Gallery in New York City where he currently has a solo exhibition (http://www.freightandvolume.com/artists/michael-scoggins/). This show was opened during the Armory weekend fair show and was reviewed as one of the best exhibitions parallel to the Armory in many blogs. He is also represented by Diana Lowenstein (www.dlfinearts.com) with whom he exhibited at Circa 06 and 08 in Puerto Rico, Adler and compamy (www.adlerandco.com), Hilger Contemporary (www.hilgercontemporary.com) in Austria and Semoi and Tuus Gallery (www.semoituus.com) in Korea.
If you wish to see more of Michael’s works you can go to his blog http://michaelscogginsins.tumblr.com/ where you will be able to see a really great variety of all his works and past exhibitions.
I hope you will enjoy this show which will travel through the local art departments of the Metro Area College Campuses and art related activities. 
To see all the works that will be exhibited please LIKE our Facebook page and search in the photo albums for Michael Scoggins - Clonialism
