La Bodega Gallery is pleased to present Resilient Bodies 
a solo exhibition of new work by Michael Watson.

Resilient Bodies will be exhibited from February 2nd thru March 2nd.
Opening reception Friday, February 2nd from 7-10 pm.

In this dynamic collection of recent work, Watson utilizes organic material including rice and wood as a surrogate for the body. Through various destructive and regenerative processes, he explores concepts of being, transformation, decay and rebirth. Watson torches, sands, and pick-axes the material to its limit until a metamorphosis occurs. The burnt, gouged and fractured surfaces become hauntingly beautiful and visceral works which are simultaneously embedded in physicality and transcendence. The artworks offer contemplative insights into the ever-changing state of all things; a trace of what was and a reflection of what will be. 

Michael Watson (b. 1982, Knoxville, TN) is a New York based multidisciplinary artist who physically engages with materials such as plywood, rice and fire to produce visceral paintings, mixed media and performance art. By pushing the physical limits of materials, his work challenges our understanding of the metaphysical, existential, and sociopolitical constructs that dominate our daily lives. 
Watson received a MFA in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design and a BFA in Painting from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. His individual and collaborative work with Tatlo has been exhibited in spaces throughout the US including the Hunterdon Art Museum (May 2017), Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, NYC (2015,16), Brooklyn Museum (2014-15), Leila Heller Gallery, NYC (2014), SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA (2014), Strange Loop Gallery, NYC (2014), Ideas City Festival via AiOP affiliated with The New Museum (2013), The Kitchen, NYC (2013), Governor’s Island Art Fair, NYC (2012/13), and the Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN (2006). His residency experience includes Arts, Letters and Numbers, Averill Park NY (2017), AIR Program 4heads Organization, NYC (2013) and the New York Studio Program, NYC (2006). Currently he is participating in the ChaShaMa studio program at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.