From the Artist
Now having a multitude of experiences within my lifetime through studies, travel and extraordinary mentorship, I have realized as a culture we are still chained to the past indiscretions. With all of this modernity, I am having the same feelings of invisibility and inequalities of my parents' parents. Technological booms, as futuristic as it sounds, have only continued to widen the gap between the haves and have-nots. This print works from the center out. It starts with the cosmos. Some might think of it as heaven. In essence the beauty of our origin. The figure in all of its manifestations emanating from the light. We remained chained to a flawed system. I wanted this print to look visually appealing through color and form. Upon deeper investigation, the eye will travel to the subtle symbols of society badly in need of repair.
—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records
My images are from an imaginary world which reflects and contrasts real world ideals. This dimension we coexist within is both beautiful in nature and horrific in occurrences. Hundreds of years millions of events passed on from generation to generation. Wreaking havoc on mind body and spirit. We are a multicultural society. Everyone's origins are key elements to the balance of nature. We are all important and relevant. In art there is also an imbalance of images. The time has come to acknowledge art as culturally rich in its diversity. With enlightenment, positivity and effort we can rise. This is the realm in which my work inhabits.
—Excerpted from https://mikel-elam.format.com, accessed 6-16-2021
Mikel Elam, a visual artist working primarily as a painter, is based in Philadelphia. Elam earned his BA in studio arts/painting from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. He went on to study at the School of Visual Arts, New York City.
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