WISH AWAY THE NIGHTMARE

A Solo Exhibition by Michael Willett

Michael Willett currently lives and works in Birmingham, AL and is an Associate Professor of Art at the University of Montevallo. He received his MFA from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning and his BFA from the University of Montevallo. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and has been acquired in many private collections and public institutions. Recent exhibition venues include: Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, LOVE Art Fair in Toronto, South Bend Museum of Art, 33 Contemporary Gallery in Chicago, and Pratt Manhattan Gallery in NYC. Recent Publications include New American Paintings (2020, 2015).

Wish Away the Nightmare is a survey of Willett’s collage works from 2011-2021. The exhibition juxtaposes selected works from several unrelated series for the first time ever, creating new conversations between non-objective compositions and portraiture. The work speaks to our preoccupation with media systems and the detachment from reality that this obsession creates. While Willett’s creative process is driven by collage, his work is heavily influenced by 20th century abstract painting and the techniques of contemporary sample-based musicians.