Snapshots of the Mind

Artist Michael Abraham‘s oil painting and sculpture exhibition, Snapshots of the Mind, features newer artworks and some distinctive Abraham classics, showcasing a consciousness of human nature, the richness of life and the passage of time.

Since 1992, Abraham’s oil paintings have garnered him a dedicated following. His unique perspective and ability to evoke emotion through his work have been recognized by critics and collectors alike. Abraham’s imagery spans the gamut between profound social commentary to the appreciation of what is most beautiful and meaningful. In Snapshots of the Mind, the open-hearted descriptions that accompany each work welcome guests into Abraham’s reflective journey, such as his piece, Waterworks / Something Else Shines Through (With Lame Duck), a liquidy ‘Kabuki-meets-cartoon’ style of painting from 2008 featuring characters standing in a pool of tears. Additionally, Abraham’s 2023 post-Schrekian piece titled Leap of Faith was initially inspired by the idea of people turning to bucket lists as a way of coming to terms with their mortality, depicting an enthusiastic squirrel-suited jumper about to embark on a flight high above a most finely detailed vista.

Abraham’s bronze sculpture titled Cluster Ball began taking shape just as the Covid pandemic took hold. It appears from afar as an indistinct asteroid like metallic rock, but upon closer inspection reveals itself to be a finely detailed interlinking of expressive figures looking out into space. For the painting titled Thumbing, Abraham writes: “In a deviation to an illustrative ‘Three Little Pigs meets Picasso’ style of painting, I caricature the true nature of divisiveness that eventually pulls a variety of nose-thumbing eggheads into a black hole”.

“I’ve heard that the meaning of life is to find meaning in life,” says Abraham. “And I like art that encourages reflection… Art reflects life: serious, funny, absurd, joyous, paradoxical, sensuous, communal, divisive… all things at once, These are snapshots of the mind in time.”

Snapshots of the Mind will be on display at Gallery 110 from March 7 – 30, 2024. Gallery hours are Thursday – Saturday from 12pm – 5pm and by appointment.