Abracadabra. black cat whiskers embedded into the wall. 18 x 4 x 3 inches.
Michael E. Stephen is a conceptual artist working in the expanded field of sculpture. His objects and arrangements, composed from appropriated to alchemically cast materials, seek to unveil and archive our idiosyncratic relationship with nostalgia and the act of the ritual.
He received his BFA at the University of Texas at Tyler and his MFA at the University of Oregon. His work has been exhibited in various national and international venues such as New York, Los Angeles, Portland, OR., Miami, Norway and Italy. Michael E. Stephen currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
Fumbling at the Wheel. found rabbit foot charm circa 1980, black carabiner, incinerated VHS cassettes: Halloween 2 (1981), Friday the 13th: Part 2 (1981), Alone in the Dark (1982), Hell Night (1982), Leprechaun (1993), Scream (1996), Urban Legend (1998) cast into a car key. 2 x 7 x 1 inches.
The Omen (no. 2) . incinerated VHS cassettes and diamond dust cast into a rose. 9 x 26 x 3 inches.
Trace. a dead woodworker's pencil (1926 - 2015) preserved with formaldehyde. ¼ x 7 x ¼ inches.
Cassandra. a black witch moth (ascalapha odorata) and original studio Polaroid of Elvira circa 1980. 6 x 6 x 1 inches.
The Lost Boys. found Polaroid circa 1987 floated on the wall. 4 x 4 inches.
Midnight Rainbow. a Polaroid (High Grade) VHS cassette plated in 24k gold. 4 x 7 x 1 inches.