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
NEON PROMISE, 2012 - 2014
NEON PROMISE, an installation of custom neon of words, phrases and graphic symbols relates to the current political, social and economic state of our country and our place in the world. The neon exists as questions, statements and affirmations referencing our sense of collective fear, anxiety and loss. Through various media sources including cable television, social media and the Internet, we struggle with the reality of this age yet continue to engage living in a high-cost culture. The neon draws us in towards a simple signage system of familiarity that we may ignore in our day-to-day lives, but functions as helpful low-tech markers of information, service and direction. The neon signs in the installation include words and phrases such as FEAR in a starburst, WHY SO ANGRY? contained in a comic-like thought bubble, directional arrows connected, but facing in opposite directions and HOPE encapsulated in an upside-down heart. All neon works are white on black Plexiglas functioning as a collaged language.