TCC Sculpture Blog: Michael T. Rea

Michael Rea is a wonderful artist who was born and lived in the south suburbs of Chicago, as well as in Burbank, and Tinley Park. Rea has quite an impressive education that he uses to supplement his excellent art work. In May of 1999 he graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelors of Science in Education, specifically in Art Education. In May of 2006, he then graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Masters of Art in Sculpture. Later, in May of 2007 Rea graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Masters of Fine Art in Sculpture. Rea has put this education to use as an artist, a teacher, an artist's assistant, a fabricator, a designer, and more.

Michael Rea describes his work well when he says, "Standing on the shoulders of other people's dreams could perhaps be the most pathetic of all dreams. The intent of my work is to create something short of its outcome. My goal is to create the idea of an object that remains a dream. The objects I create are based on fictions, rather than realities. I have always been interested in the ephemeral worlds established in film, or even in popular culture. Fictions or established hearsay allow for a flawed interpretation, which leads to a flawed result. The sublime is unattainable, and not an option. I further amplify this experience by only using my memory to construct my images. Failure is imminent. I find humor allows me to enjoy this experience, and I in turn build humor into the worlds established by my work. I have chosen to depict these states with unfinished wood, and other materials which convey a sense of the temporal. I find the beauty in life lies in between moments. My work offers a sense of what could be and what could never be simultaneously."

(http://www.mikerea.com/flash.html and http://chicagoartreview.com/2010/11/02/interview-michael-t-rea/)