I make work that explores our perception of the world. I invite the viewer to look beyond their first impressions and to discover what is really presented to them.
I investigate the transient state we live in and how we grasp on to objects to give stability to our understanding of an ever-changing world. I play with the effect time has upon our belongings, which become an integral part of our lives and our understanding of our being.
My work creates a space for the viewer to contemplate what they are observing. For me, this moment of realisation of what you are really seeing is important; it produces many different reactions from humour to anger, but above all a moment of contemplation. Within today’s society we have so many preconceptions, that sometimes we don’t actually allow ourselves to see clearly.
I seek to make art that individualises the copied object. The work exposes the process of mass reproduction which is eroding our aesthetics and values into a bland state, where paradoxically choice and variety, become diminished.
All images © 2011 Michael Coombs. All rights reserved.