MICHAEL KOZIEN, a Chicago-based transdisciplinary artist, merges animation, video, sound, photography, sculpture and installation to create his works. He exhibits his work internationally. Recent exhibitions include: Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, Governors State University, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI, New York University, Transient Gallery, Des Moines, IA, Korpufsstadir, Reykjavik, Iceland, Chicago Cultural Center, Art in General, NYC, Harvestworks, NYC, Le Musee di-visioniste, Cologne, Germany, Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, Lake Worth, FL, and the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA. Projects and screenings include: a video performance at FUN, NYC and at the Sacramento Festival of Cinema 2002. Michael has been a resident artist at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME (2013), Takt Kunstprojektraum, Berlin, Germany (2011), The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists Residency (SÍM), Reykjavík, Iceland (2010-11) and La Macina di San Cresci Artist Residency, Greve, Italy (2009). His work has been reviewed in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and The San Diego Union-Tribune. He earned a MFA in digital media from Stony Brook University and a BFA in painting from Southern Illinois University. Michael is the founder and director of Operation France, a creative collective of international artists based in Chicago, USA. Currently, he is a Associate Professor in the Digital Media + Design Department at the College of Lake County, Illinois where he teaches courses in design, animation, video, sound and digital media culture and theory.
KOZIEN
Gazers, 2007 - 2010
Gazers, a series of digital photographs in portrait format. The portraits capture moments that are reflective, contemplative, or passive, but hold a strong sense of anxiety or stress. At other times, they appear to be coping with an emotional state that is unclear. Are they in pain? Are they sad? Confused? Angry? Happy?