Michael Gallagher

I Don’t See Color (2019)
glass, wood, chain
35 x 12 in.

My artwork examines the political and social aspects surrounding racism. I address the role of white voices in the discourse of racism, more specifically, the absence of white voices. Questioning how this silence perpetrates and allows racism to continue is something that interests me greatly. The materials I have been focusing on are etched glass and stiffened fabric. The forms that these materials take on are abstracted, even though many contain explicit text. These abstracted forms work to draw the viewer in with an unassuming beauty to ultimately challenge them by the slowly emerging conceptual underpinnings, with real dialogue being the goal. This work has become a way for me to question truths I have unconsciously taken for granted throughout my life and push the viewer to question their own truths. The juxtaposition of the formal nature of the form and the uncomfortable nature of the message are a common theme in my work.

© Michael Gallagher