Michael Staniak

Although Michael Staniak creates the paintings mostly by hand—he builds up texture with uneven layers of plaster and then paints the surface in a range of ways—his paintings bear an uncanny resemblance to flat digital prints. Indeed, one must view the works up close to perceive any texture or depth, and as such, they behave like contemporary trompe l’oeil paintings that baffle the senses. Some paintings do however utilize digital methods of output and in so doing create a dialogue between the two modes of production. His works explore a new aesthetic in painting, one which is influenced by digital technologies, including touch pads, smart phones, personal computing and the Internet.

Michael Staniak has had solo exhibitions at Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, Annarumma Gallery, and Steve Turner, Los Angeles. His work has been included in group shows at the Moving Museum’s Istanbul project and Kunsthalle Vienna. The Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis will publish a monograph in late 2016.

Courtesy of Steve Turner