Michael Assiff's 'USA Flowers' at Post Times Explores American Landscape and Supply Chains
USA Flowers, an exhibition by Michael Assiff, is currently showcased at Post Times in New York. This display features new paintings and a video that delve into the natural and industrial aspects of the American landscape, illustrating weeds, fields, insects, and infrastructure. Assiff created these pieces during his travels across the country with trucker Ramblin, capturing images of plants in diverse settings. Each artwork is crafted in low relief using extruded plastic, incorporating a novel 'spill' technique that adds stains reminiscent of weathering and pollution. The exhibition links biological and industrial themes while nodding to the tradition of American landscape painting. The accompanying video, Long-Haul Flowers, intertwines soundscapes with Ramblin's trucking life. Assiff, born in 1983, resides in Queens, NY, and has earned several grants.
Key facts
- Post Times in New York presents USA Flowers, an exhibition of new paintings and a video by Michael Assiff.
- Assiff developed the works through cross-country trips with his friend Ramblin, a long-haul flatbed trucker.
- The paintings depict weeds, agricultural fields, insects, highways, drainage systems, industrial sites, and other infrastructure.
- Assiff constructs each painting in low relief from extruded plastic, using a process he calls a 'spill.'
- The fluorescent colors derive partly from high-visibility workwear and relate to flower coloration.
- The video Long-Haul Flowers follows Ramblin through the central corridors of the United States.
- The video features analog synthesizer music by Matthew Scarduzio.
- Michael Assiff (b. 1983, St. Petersburg, FL) is based in Queens, New York, and earned his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2008.
Entities
Artists
- Michael Assiff
- Ramblin
- Alexandre Hogue
- Matthew Scarduzio
Institutions
- Post Times
- The Valley
- Katia David Rosenthal
- Ashes/Ashes
- Chez Valentin
- Galería Mascota
- Shoot the Lobster
- Good Weather
- Night Gallery
- Matthew Brown
- Magenta Plains
- Salon 94
- Jack Barrett
- Arsenal Contemporary
- Fall River Museum of Contemporary Art
- The New York Times
- Artforum
- Mousse Magazine
- Flash Art
- dis magazine
- NYFA
- NYSCA
- Dreamers in Residence
- NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs
- Queen Arts Fund
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Haute-Vienne
- University Health
- Cedars-Sinai
- Rhode Island School of Design
Locations
- New York
- United States
- St. Petersburg
- FL
- Queens
- Taos
- Miami
- Paris
- Mexico City
- Little Rock
- Haute-Vienne
- France
- San Antonio
- Los Angeles