Sindicado [Bilbao] (2022)
Oil, acrylic, and inkjet on canvas
54" x 62.5"
指差し [Tokyo] (2021)
Oil, acrylic, and inkjet on canvas
21" x 23"
Bricolage [Paris] (2021)
Oil and inkjet on canvas
48" x 50"
ニャー [Toyko] (2022)
Oil and inkjet on canvas
32"x32"
ニャー [Toyko] (2022)
Oil and inkjet on canvas
32"x32"
εργαλεία [Athens] (2019)
Oil and inkjet on canvas
20" x 30"
犬 [Tokyo] (2022)
Oil and inkjet on canvas
40" x 50"
Pide adam [Istanbul] (2021)
Oil and inkjet on canvas
21.5" x 23"
Innerhalb der kiste [Berlin] (2019)
Oil and inkjet on canvas
21" x 19"
Jekyl Island [New York] (2022)
Oil and inkjet on canvas
55"x55"
Michael Ziga’s recent series Pictogram Paintings extracts advertising iconography from cities around the world (New York, Paris, Tokyo, Istanbul, Lisbon, and Athens) to create a syntax of graphic signs, subverting their original messages by recomposing the designs in opposition. Pictograms are the foundation of written language, generating meaning without words to provoke our subconscious emotions. These works find new narratives within branding by placing pictures in violation of their intended reading to reveal the syntactics of vectorized messaging.
The paintings implement digital inkjet printing combined with traditional painting techniques, weaving intricate layers of stenciled paint on the printed canvas, contrasting thickly painted graphics with soft digital brushstrokes.