Michael C Thorpe: 14 Years Old
Forum Gallery presents 14 Years Old, the inaugural New York solo exhibition for Michael C. Thorpe.
At just 29 years of age, Thorpe is an exciting young artist who has burst on to the art scene telling stories about his world expressed in quilts of colorful fabric and inventive composition, meandering stitching and printed canvas, in playful pencil and stitched drawings, and in surprising sculptural works. 14 Years Old presents thirty new works by Thorpe and continues through January 14, 2023.
"This show is titled 14 Years Old because that's how old I feel in my art career. 14 years old is right when most kids are transitioning from middle school to high school. I remember I found a couple things that I was good at (i.e. sports) but I was still open to exploring other things. That's exactly how I see my practice. I learned I can draw fairly well, quilt a little better and I know how to collage. With those tools I've been pushing myself to explore and experiment with different styles and materials to depict the world around me."
__Michael C. Thorpe
"Pieces that are printed on canvas start from a found photograph or my own photography that I was attracted to. Printing the photo out on canvas and then quilting on top of it plays with the idea of what a quilt can be. Adding different material and different images to work with allows myself to deepen the meaning of the work. I blend an old tradition of quilting with the new age technology of sophisticated digital printing."
Viva, 2022
Textile, quilting cotton and thread
40 1/2 x 50 inches
Gunther Place, 2022
60 ¾ x 85 ½ inches
Flower Gal @ Bar, 2022
Poo in the Library, 2022
Morning Joe, 2022
50 ¼ x 33 inches
Someone who would def whoop yo ass, 2022
Stolen from a Henry Taylor Painting, 2022
44 ½ x 35 inches
Da Boat, 2022
Hopeless Romantic, 2022
40 ½ x 35 ¾ inches
Atlanta House Party, 2022
41 x 33 ½ inches
Whole Family, 2022
Quilting cotton and pigment on canvas
Slim Jim, 2022
polyester plush and wood
85 1/2 inches tall
LOT, 2022
Big Baller Bentley, 2022
43 ¼ x 43 ¼ inches
Scarface (Self-Portrait), 2022
39 ¼ x 31 ¾ inches
Big Fish Little Man, 2022
61 ½ x 45 ½ inches
Corner, 2022
Mikey's Secret Hideout, 2022
polyester, plush, wood, and quilting cotton
69 x 26 x 28 ½ inches
(double-click image for interior view)
Birdman finger painting @ 46 in kindergarten class, 2022
55 x 38 ¾ inches
Studio Window, 2022
Fabric, wood, metal
If the rapper Blu had dreads, 2022
18 x 14 ¼ inches
Untitled #1, 2022
11 x 9 1/2 inches
Philipp, 2022
18 ¼ x 14 ½ inches
Bailey, 2022
Nigga from Alien, 2022
Cardboard, paper
British Iron Man, 2022
Cardboard paper
73 ½ x 30 ½ x 12 inches
Tony, 2022
Thread on paper
Prospect Park, 2022
Paper color pencil
North Haven, 2022
Austy sluggin' one, 2022
"While studying the likes of Martin Kippenberger, David Hammons, Lubaina Himid, Alvaro Barrington, Robert Rauschenberg, Bruce Nauman, Black Mountain College, and the Dada movement, I began to understand my lineage in the arts. I was so attracted to their ability to explore and experiment, and I knew that's what I wanted to do. My whole life I've been hard to categorize and now I want that same feeling about my work."
Michael C. Thorpe on 14 Years Old
Michael C. Thorpe bio