Michael Sayles

until 25.05.2024

SETAREH
Schöneberger Ufer 71
10785 Berlin

curated by Eric D. Clark

SETAREH is thrilled to present for this instalment of SPOTLIGHT, an occasional program for exceptional projects, a survey of three decades of work by Berlin based artist Michael Sayles. This first mini-Intraspective exhibition, curated by long time friend and collaborator Eric D. Clark, is a window into the mind of “Afropean” culture.

‘Sayles’ work delves into... NO! IS the repatriation of a cultural appropriation practiced throughout modern times by the likes of many popular visual artists from the 15th to 20th century’s; specifically art of African descent; everything his work represents is a mirror to culture shamelessly stolen in the tenets or rather edicts of so called discovery? The bringing of civilisation to the already civilised... subjugate a people by removing their identity; culture and the spoils of said endeavours; one might think of the Benin Bronzes as an example; a proverbial drop in the bucket as it were...A Jamaican born immigrant to Birmingham, England; through South London to New York; currently based in Berlin via Cologne! An Artist perfectly in consort with a plural history shared by millions expressed by few; hence Michael Sayles’

-Eric D. Clark

Over Michael’s 35 plus years there has always been a poignant use of narrative; palpable no matter the medium in which he represents his point of view be it the repatriation of the imagery in Mappelthorpe’s The Black Book using himself as the model, OREO cookies re-branded by hand into NEGRO cookies or Sayles’ stunningly detailed graphite drawings which figuratively pop off the paper or sculptural assemblages with various artefacts from African daily life... His signature is very there!

Michael Sayles (b. 1968 Birmingham, GB – lives and works in Berlin) is a Berlin-based artist who studied within the emerging Young British Artists movement under the guidance of John Stezaker, graduating from London’s Central Saint Martin’s in 1990. There, he swiftly honed his natural grasp of collage and precise rendering techniques. Sayles is recognized for his meticulous, large-scale graphite drawings on paper, which merge ethnological iconography with contemporary fetish objects.

Eric D. Clark (b. 1966 in California, USA – lives and works in Berlin, right after Paris where EDC met famous sister in crime CCH and moved gayly ahead to Cologne) has been taking the DJ underworld by storm for the past 30 years with his distinctive soul, breakbeat and jungle sounds. Based in Berlin, Eric has spun in quintessential Berlin clubs including Panorama Bar, Renate and Tresor, among many others. His music has reached international recognition, playing in Europe, South America and the US. Notable collaborations include Giorgio Moroder, Amanda Lear, Peaches, Chaka Khan, and TLC.