- Unit G presents…
by Michael Worobec
20 October - 20 November 2021
Hackney WickED Art Prize Winner 2017
Venue: Two More Years, 7 Roach Road, London E3 2PA
Artist in Residence Launch: 20 October 2021, 7pm
Headline painting: In The Garden Of Earthly Delights
This painting is one in Michael’s ‘Man Woman, Human’ sub-series, featuring the curved shapes of the distinctive Afro hair style, which the artist started working on in East London and which continued through his move back to his native Edinburgh. Within this space many shapes and constructs form: The grenade in these paintings is a recurring motif; a mixed metaphor for whimsy and destruction. A bomb and a rich, juicy pineapple; colours in this work are bright, lively and friendly.
The figures are calm yet exude a quiet rebellion, peering out at the viewer with indignation, sadness or perhaps contempt. This is for the viewer to address and decide. The gender of these is purposely vague and the idea of temptation and excess in the title is a reference to the temptations of the flesh. The lush beauty, fragrance and colours such as in a garden, are metaphors for the delights on offer.
Michael Worobec’s work has always been motivated by the pressures of social norms and the constructs of faith and belief structures. Often male in their hierarchy, the power and manipulation of societies are enforced by Patriarchs. This mix of the individual and the society, both in competition for supremacy, is a balance that fascinates him. How much freedom can one person achieve when these forces are present? These manipulations of power are a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand and maintain the status quo. In short, tradition.
As a gay man, brought up Catholic, both in the Roman and Orthodox traditions, his mother Italian and father Ukrainian, have left Michael, on many occasions, in turmoil and despair as these huge religious dictums crashed into his world. Moral structures and commands did not sit well with his liberal and progressive feelings and resulted in many years of anxiety and self-doubt. Art and the creative process have always been companions in this journey of self-knowledge and acceptance and have given him a voice to express his passion for social justice and freedom.