Michael Minelli

Profile

Michael Minelli received his BA from Rutgers College. Upon receiving his undergraduate degree with a concentration in Economics, Michael worked in the Accounting Division of IBM’s Northeast Headquarters for six months; at the end of which time he developed a stubborn facial tic, prompting him to move to New York City and begin making even more impractical use of his time.

As a member of the artist’s collective REHAB, Michael’s video and performance projects were part of a weekly broadcast on Manhattan Public Access Television entitled Rehab TV from 1987-89. REHAB was also responsible for organizing screenings, performance and poetry readings held at ABC NO RIO on New York’s Lower Eastside. During this time, Michael also performed in the bands Bowery Electric and Jackson White. Michael was a participant in the Whitney Museum’s Independent Studio Program and went on to receive his MFA in Sculpture from UCLA.

Michael’s work investigates the prickly relationship between popular media discourse and the individual subject. His projects include sculptural objects, drawing, writing, photography and performance. He has exhibited in the United States and abroad since 1987. In 2006, Michael was commissioned by The Wexner Center for the Arts to create a work for the exhibition Shiny. In 2009, Michael was a founding member of the Los Angeles-based Artist’s Collective and project space WPA. In 2012, he worked in collaboration with Sowon Kwon on an exhibition of his recent work at the CUE Foundation for the Arts in New York City. Michael has taught studio arts and critical studies at Art Center College of Design and Otis College of Art and Design. He lives and works in Los Angeles.