MICHAEL CASSIDY
West Columbia, S.C., artist Michael Cassidy (b. 1977, Flint, Mich.) has lived in the Columbia area for some 15 years. He was selected for the 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial 2015 at the city’s 701 Center for Contemporary Art. He has had solo exhibitions in 2009 and 2014 in the FAB Gallery at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C., as well as a 2013 solo show at City Art Gallery in Columbia. Among group exhibitions in which he was included are those at S.C. State University’s I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium and the Anderson Art Center in Anderson, S.C. From 2011 – 2015, Cassidy worked as curator, gallery director and instructor at S.C. State. Since 2015, he works as an exhibits master craftsman at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. Cassidy received an MFA from the University of South Carolina in 2014 and holds a BFA from Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich.
M i c h a e l C a s s i d y
S m a l l T h i n g s
We
are constantly “connected” to the world via our phones, computers, pads, and
pods. These devices are incredibly useful, but many of us allow them to dominate
our lives. I believe we are at risk of losing track of some fundamental
elements of being human. As accessibility and efficiency increase, awareness of
our self and our surroundings decrease. We are losing the desire and ability to
have direct, personal relationships in the present with other people and nature.
We are suffering due to our noisy, overly connected, fast-paced, and
multi-tasked culture.
These
paintings are a reflection of the often neglected, but elemental human need to
turn off and unplug. The highly detailed images are intended as portraits of
silent, peripheral, and nearly invisible things. They are about recognizing
beauty and fostering curiosity by slowing down, breathing deeply, looking
closely, and heightening awareness of the small and overlooked.
