Michael Morris, City Deluxe 2 (1968-2012), etching on paper, edition of 25

Michael Morris, City Deluxe 1 (1968-2012), etching on paper, edition of 25

Michael Morris, City Deluxe 5 (1968-2012), etching on paper, edition of 25

Michael Morris, City Deluxe 8 (1968-2012), etching on paper, edition of 25

Michael Morris: Back to the Problem of Nothing is the first solo show by this iconic westcoast artist in a Vancouver gallery in more than 30 years. Comprising both historic and newer images, the exhibition includes a variety of media, including prints, drawings, and sculptures. At the centre of the exhibition will be City de Luxe, a recently produced suite of large format etchings based on 10 drawings originally conceived in the late 1960s.

Morris first came to prominence in the 1960s as a leading member of Vancouver’s burgeoning avant-garde. Inspired in part by the art-as-life ideals of Fluxus and Pop Art, he became associated with a generation of artists who consciously rejected the national lyrical landscape tradition that had dominated the region’s art making.

At the heart of the current exhibition is a suite of 10 newly produced etchings, each based on an example of Morris’s late 1960s engagement with Concrete Poetry. Some of the designs reflect Morris’s strong interest in the legacy of Art Deco, while others show the influence of choreographer Busby Berkeley’s radial geometric patterns.

Michael Morris graduated from the Vancouver School of Art in 1964 followed by postgraduate studies at the Slade School. In 1969 he co-founded Image Bank with Vincent Trasov and in 1973 was a co-founder of the Western Front, one of Canada’s first artist-run centres. Morris’ work is found in many important public collections, including the Vancouver Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Canada. Morris lives and works in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.

http://www.kardosh
projects.com/