Michael Taylor is a young artist who is causing a stir in contemporary South African art. Over the past ten years he has rapidly progressed from a talented student to a highly successful artist and lecturer. A collection of his latest works,  sporting a decidedly personal flair, will soon be on show at the Worldart Gallery in Cape Town’s Church Street. This small but enterprising gallery is steadily becoming a hot spot, drawing a keen following of international clients who are au fait with current trends on the arts scene.

Taylor is fond of exploring the space between text and image. His often humorous works, touching on both the art of illustration, graphic design and figurative work, display qualities that attract the more established as well as the younger art aficionados. He has in fact already become a firm favourite among the younger collectors.

As an artist Taylor is particularly intrigued with the interplay between the visual image and the title: “I regard this as entry-point into the work of art, from where the viewer proceeds to create meaning. However, for me the image-making process precedes naming or labelling of the image. In most cases I deliberately choose titles which evoke something entirely different from what the image represents.”

Taylor describes his work as self-reflexive, with humour serving as a tool to mask the more serious sides. He “reveals and conceals” at the same time, which could be described as a key element of his work. This ambiguity not only arrests the attention, but draws the viewer into a playful engagement with both the image and the artist’s train of thought  –  while bringing the viewer’s imagination into play. And as artists and art lovers very well know, the fun element is often linked to the “truth”!

With his latest works, Taylor enhances his impressive record as a young artist. Since 2001 he has participated in numerous exhibitions at leading galleries. In 2003 he was the winner of the ninth International Competition for Illustration in Italy. He has already produced a fine list of publications, while being actively involved as an artist, lecturer and freelance illustrator.

This stimulating series of works by a well-trained and dedicated artist deserves to be experienced by an even wider public. Taylor is not only upwardly mobile; he has in fact arrived with a bang. His new collection can be enjoyed and admired at Worldart from 30 July to 22 August.

Artist: Michael Taylor

Title of show: The plot thickens

Venue: Worldart Gallery, 54 Church Street, Cape Town cbd

Dates: 30 July – 22 August 2009

Hours: Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am -1pm. Closed on Sundays.