Michael Daks Rochester, United Kingdom Artist

Michael Daks

Michael Daks is an English multi-disciplinary artist currently based in Rochester, Kent after a 20 year stint in NYC & Paris. He has worked as a fashion and portrait photographer in London, Paris, Milan and New York City, with clients including The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, The Tatler, Cosmopolitan, Variety, Rolling Stone,VIBE,The Source, The Observer Magazine, The Telegraph magazine, The Sunday Times magazine, Maxim, Brill’s Content, TV Guide USA, World of Interiors, BLITZ, iD, The Face, L’Uomo Vogue, Vogue Hommes International, SONY Music, BMG, RCA, MTV, Levi’s, Van Heusen, BELSTAFF, Drizabone, Arcadia, Burtons, Energie Jeans & GAP. The cover image of his book of nudes 'Just Good Friends' (Tara Dancing) was featured in the Sunday Times magazine ‘best of world photography’ section in 2013. He is currently working on 'In Hindsight' - a personal landscape, a retrospective of his landscape photographs from the past 30 years and 'Sculpture Garden' a book of sculptures in their environment taken at Versailles, Musee de Rodin and various other Sculpture Gardens around the world. His portraits of Dennis Potter & Kenneth Branagh are in The National Portrait Gallery permanent collection in Trafalgar Square. PAINTINGS I have always loved the Russian abstract painters from the time of the Revolution, and was inspired by Kazimir Malevitch to create my own series of abstract geometric paintings, mostly influenced by my 15 years living in New York. The roof tops, which are known as Tar Beaches, are painted with a bitumen solution to act as a sealant. It was also the material used to create the first ever surviving photograph by Nicéphore Niépce in 1827. This over years and exposure to extreme temperatures cracks and gives the appearance of tree bark or a baked earthen desert. I wanted to see if I could recreate that effect in my paintings through using both bitumen, and certain chemicals that allow a cracking effect to materialize over time. I wanted to create art that did not come from an art store, but from everyday life. So I chose to buy my supplies only from hardware stores. Everything except for the canvases were bought from there. Instead of artist brushes, I used decorators brushes, wooden sticks, sponges and paint rollers. A friend described them as 'Paintings for Rock Stars'. My second series of paintings is much looser and more delicate and inspired more by the abstract expressionist painters of the 1950s, with an obvious nod to Jackson Pollack, Jules Olitski and Robert Motherwell. The paintings are multi-layered, with a base of bitumen to give texture to the surface and then a basic tone is laid down, the colours, tones and textures inspired by my favourite wall in Rochester. Next come several layers of free-flowing drips and daubs of black and white that give movement to the composition, with a rolling technique to repeat the pattern over the canvas. I then often use an enamel colour or household gloss paint that sits on top and creates a matte/gloss effect. Sometimes using a gloss varnish for a similar effect. After the strong graphic shapes of my 'Rock Star' paintings, I like to think of this series as 'Keeping in touch with my feminine side'. Michael was Professor of Photography at Paris College of Art (formerly Parsons Paris) and has also lectured at Parsons NY, Instituto Marangoni, IFA Paris, The Swedish Insitute in Paris, and Southampton Solent University, UK. He is currently head of the photo dept at Rochester Independent College in Kent UK and resident artist at Nucleus Arts on the river Medway. 

 

Education:

Southampton Solent University PGCLTHE

Wolverhampton University Faculty of Art and design- BA (hons) Visual Communication/Photography.

Southport College of Art & Design - Foundation Course.

Exhibitions:

Exhibitions

2019:

Sun Pier House - Medway - Solo Show: June - July

2018:

Nucleus Resident Artist
Halpern Gallery - Medway

2017:

NOVEMBER

'Rencontres Photographiques du 10e' @ Bibliotheque Chateau D'Eau as part of Paris Photo.

Vernissage Nov 5th at 18h00. Until Nov 28th.

and

'The BODY'

PCA Gallery Paris, 15 Rue Fenelon 75010
November 23rd - December 18th

Vernissage November 26th at 18h00


Michael's work has been exhibited internationally, most notably at the ‘Europ - Art sans frontières’ exhibition in Paris in 1992 curated by César, The Milk Gallery in NYC in 2005, the Proud Gallery in London in 2010, at The Pavillon des Lettres in Paris in June 2014, Le Biblioteque Chateau D'eau, Paris 2015, and he will also exhibit a solo show at iconoclastes gallery in Paris in 2016 . His video installation 'Tara dances for world peace' was showcased in Paris as part of the Untitled Magazine exhibition at the Visionaire’s Gallery, and his fashion film 'Wish You Were Here' was shown at the Soiree du Louvre benefit in 2011. His fashion film 'Girl Friday' was shown at The Big Screen Plaza in Midtown Manhattan and during the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

His short film 'The Butterfly Collector' has now been viewed over 1.2 million times on Youtube.

Michael’s portraits of Dennis Potter & Kenneth Branagh are in the permanent collection of The National Portrait Gallery in London.

His fashion work for BLITZ magazine was exhibited at the ICA in London, and published in the book ‘AS SEEN IN BLITZ - FASHIONING 80’s STYLE’ by Iain R. Webb (2013).

Repetition Revisited
Painting, 31.5 H x 31.5 W x 1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara Dancing (2/12)
Photography, 32 H x 24 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom 

Fool's Gold
Painting, 31.5 H x 31.5 W x 1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 Karen & Ashley (2/12)
Photography, 15 H x 20 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 What I See When I Close My Eyes
Painting, 31.5 H x 31.5 W x 1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Ashley with yellow curtains #1 (2/12)
Photography, 16 H x 20 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Migration
Painting, 31.5 H x 31.5 W x 1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 Ashley with yellow curtains #2 (2/12)
Photography, 16 H x 20 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Staying Positive in a Sea of Negativity
Painting, 39.5 H x 39.5 W x 2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Ashley with yellow curtains #3 b+w (4/12)
Photography, 20 H x 15 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Absolutely Positive ( 9 Crosses )
Painting, 39.5 H x 39.5 W x 2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Ashley with Bedside Lamp (ed 2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 15 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Positive & Negative
Painting, 39.5 H x 39.5 W x 2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Karen Silver torso (solarized) (ed 2/12)
Photography, 30 H x 24 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Construction - Triptych
Painting, 39.5 H x 94.5 W x 1.5 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Audrey with silver hair b+w (ed 2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 16 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Crossroads
Painting, 39.5 H x 31.5 W x 1.5 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 Dawn with crystal pendant (3/12)
Photography, 20 H x 15 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tribeca
Painting, 31.5 H x 31.5 W x 1.5 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara solarized (ed 2/12)
Photography, 32 H x 24 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Red Star Yellow Sun
Painting, 31.5 H x 31.5 W x 1.5 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara on her chinese bed (2/12)
Photography, 24 H x 32 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Betelgeuse
Painting, 31.5 H x 31.5 W x 1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara in her tented Bedroom #1 (2/12)
Photography, 32 H x 24 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 Red Sun
Painting, 31.5 H x 31.5 W x 1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara in her tented Bedroom #2 (2/12)
Photography, 32 H x 24 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 Growth
60x60cm. Mixed media 2018.
Bitumen, household paints and enamel on canvas.

 Tara with Butterflies
Photography, 20 H x 16 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Matrix 2
50x50cm. Mixed media 2018.
Bitumen, Gloss paint on canvas.

 Eddie #1, hands & feet (2/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Matrix 1
50x50cm. Mixed media 2018.
Bitumen, Gloss paint on canvas.

Callaghan in the Hamptons #1 (2/12)
Photography, 25 H x 20 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Silver Surfer
60x60cm. Mixed media 2018.
Bitumen, household paints and enamel on canvas.

Eddie & Izumi #2 (2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 16 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Blue Note
60x60cm. Mixed media 2018.
Bitumen, household paints and enamel on canvas.

Eddie & Izumi #1 (2/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Spiral
60x60cm. Mixed media 2018.
Bitumen, household paints and enamel on canvas.

Eddie #3, torso (2/12)
Photography, 32 H x 24 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

My bedroom curtains 1968
60x60cm. Mixed media 2018.
Bitumen, household paints and enamel on canvas.

 Eddie #2, posterior (2/12)
Photography, 32 H x 24 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Red Spiral
60x60cm
Matte & Gloss household paint with enamel on canvas

 Izumi #1, torso (2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 16 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 Daffodils (After Wordsworth)
60x60cm. Mixed Media 2018
Bitumen, household paints and varnishes on canvas.

 Izumi #2, posterior (2/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 US Army Missile #1 (2/12)
Photography, 24 H x 30 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Izumi laughing (2/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Versailles #5114 (edition 2/7)
Photography, 16.5 H x 24 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom 

Leah with waterfall hair (2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 15 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Stop Sign #3 (2/12)
Photography, 24 H x 30 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 Karen's magnificent breasts (2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 15 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Versailles #5111 (edition 2/7)
Photography, 16.5 H x 24 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Lindsey with love birds & flaming cherry (2/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 Alex Rose with Red Cloak (edition 2/7)
Photography, 32 H x 24 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Olivia in the kitchen #2 (back) (2/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Rocket crash (2/12)
Photography, 30 H x 24 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 Crescent moon, full moon (2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 16 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Observation Hut #7 (2/12)
Photography, 24 H x 30 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Olivia in the kitchen #1 (2/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

TTX train (2/12)
Photography, 24 H x 32 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Lea with Maison Margiela Necklace (edition 2/7)
Photography, 32 H x 26 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

 

 Christie #1 (Limited edition 4/12)
Photography, 32 H x 24 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara with blindfold (2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 16 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Merry Widow #1 (edition 3/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Ghita at Hotel L'Amour, Paris (edition 2/7)
Photography, 16 H x 24 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Magdalena #1 (3/12)
Photography, 24 H x 18 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara staring down (3/12)
Photography, 20 H x 16 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Merry Widow #2 (edition 3/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara's breast (2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 16 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Mood Swings #1 Punk (edition 5/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara with flour (back) (3/12)
Photography, 24 H x 18 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Mood Swings #2 Geisha (edition 3/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara, torso with flour (3/12)
Photography, 16 H x 12 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Le Penseur - Musee Rodin #6123 (Limited Edition 2/7)
Photography, 20 H x 30 W x 0.1 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom

Tara pointing (2/12)
Photography, 20 H x 16 W x 0.2 in
Michael Daks
United Kingdom
 

  Michael Daks  Rochester, United Kingdom Artist

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