For Artist Mike Elsass, curating chaos is the act of injecting energy throughout galleries globally, homes locally and pushing people to play without planning. Mike has sold art around the world, from New York to L.A. to Singapore. France, Germany, Hawaii, Canada. Businesses display his work in their lobbies. People decorate their whole houses around his pieces. Individuals pay for the privilege to work with him at luxury spas and artist retreats.
The artist, known for weathering and painting rusted steel, is both prolific and profound. He hangs his hat in Dayton, Ohio, though it’s a rare occasion to find him without it covering his head. The hat, covered in paint, has become somewhat of a trademark for him.
Whether it’s through the act of painting itself or his energetic way of activating and adding to his collection of characters, Mike's ultimate goal is connection. He views life in the same way he views his art. Never complete and only enhanced with new layers and ideas.
No one knows better than Mike Elsass, that it's not the paint that makes the piece pretty, it's how everything comes together without the boundaries of forethought. Life is enhanced with the reality of what lies beneath it, and no one has come as close to artfully relating this concept to urban resurgence, as beautifully as he.
Chaos Cultivator
Spontaneity, intuition, and fearlessness!
