Michael Sarich: Puppet Consumption

May 5 through June 19, 2010

JAYJAY is proud to present Michael Sarich, professor of art at University of Nevada Reno in his second one person exhibit at the gallery. It is a rare occurrence at JAYJAY, when the entire space is dedicated to one artist, but Sarich is a rare artist, working in both two and three dimensional mediums.

His new work continues his well known narratives with more concentration on social and political issues. Sarich takes banal icons of American pop imagery and turns them into spokespersons for the many plights we face at this crazy time in the world’s history. If we look to celebrities to point us in the right direction both politically and socially, then why not Mickey Mouse, Sarich’s favorite expert on what is going on. He continues to inhabit paintings and sculpture as mentor and muse, along with other personal symbols that Sarich has developed. The ubiquitous happy face also remains a mainstay of the Sarich vocabulary though sometimes with a frown.

Sarich is a 2007 recipient of the prestigious Joan Mitchell award. He also enjoyed a highly regarded one person exhibit at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno in 2008. His work can be found in many private and public collections, including: The Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; Bemis Center for the Arts, Omaha, NE; Museum of Art, Misoula, MT; Jun Kaneko Museum, Omaha, NE; University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV; and the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Categories: 2010, Exhibitions