CURRENT EXHIBITION

REconstituted

Michael Dayton Hermann

Baxter St at CCNY presents REconstituted, a solo exhibition of works by Michael Dayton Hermann. The artist’s new body of photographic work addresses the relationship between tradition and invention as potentially harmonious forces, even in today’s highly polarized social and political climate. The presentation, part of the Baxter St. Mid-career, Lens-based Artists Initiative, will be on view from March 5 – May 8, 2024 at the Baxter Street Project Space at 128 Baxter St, New York City.
This new body of work consists of color photographs that are digitally collaged, printed, drawn over,
re-photographed, digitally re-collaged, re-printed, and then painted. Borrowing visual language from traditional trompe l’oeil paintings and creating scenes defined by their unexpected turns, Hermann makes poignant queries into the “post-truth” world defined by a fundamental distrust of information.
Hermann’s decades-long practice has eschewed categorization and often embraces the inherent dichotomies of contemporary life. For Hermann, two seemingly disparate things can be true; the forces that bring us together can be the same forces that also hold us back, and the things that are familiar can always hold the potential for rediscovery. In his works, discarded trash is rendered sentimental, collective monuments turn personal, seemingly decorative objects become transformative, and missteps are embraced alongside victories. With REconstituted, Hermann reminds viewers that both building upon success and learning from failure are essential for growth and advancement in society, art, and technology.