Michael Combs
2008 Pajama Party Artist Donor
Michael Combs is a fifth-generation duck decoy carver from Long Island who incorporates
his family's heritage of wood carving, traditionally used for hunting and sport,
to make sculpture that challenges nature's role in contemporary culture. Comb's
sculpture Alpha Male, 2005 (pictured above, right), is on permanent display
at Proof On Main and exemplifies his departure from traditional craft into the realm
of contemporary art.
Man's relationship to nature isn't always pretty. I often dissect the absurdity
of what we do, for example the lengths in which we go for power, security, or sex.
I find it extremely similar to what happens in the animal kingdom. I am interested
in what makes us tick, the ways in which our contradictions pose a threat to ourselves
and our world, and how dangerous we are to our environment. Out of my knowledge
and attraction for nature and hunting, I can unearth the issues and create personal
visions that explore them in their lurid and sometimes ludicrous complexity.
-Michael Combs, 2006
Michael Combs will donate the photograph The Ecstasy
of St Teresa (left) for the Pajama Party. The work is based on a sculpture
series created from Victorian bed pans and wood carvings.The artist’s table is available
for $10,000.21. Reservations can be made by contacting Christy Bramble at
cbramble@21chotels.com or by calling 502.582.5000.
For more information, please visit Art in Proof’s Permanent Installations or the artist’s webpage,
www.combssculpture.com.
For the artist’s gallery representation, please contact:
Salomon Contemporary Warehouse
6 Plank Road – Unit 3
East Hampton, NY
917.617.0828
james@salomoncontemporary.com
www.salomoncontemporary.com