Michael Zelehoski

Sanford Smith Fine Art is very proud to show Michael Zelehoski’s work. Zelehoski is a man of the times, adaptively reusing found materials to make new masterpieces. In the words of Paul Laster at Time Out New York, Zelehoski is “a master craftsman, [who] deconstructs found objects made from wood and reassembles them on flat planes, to reference both the real world and the realm of artistic illusion... Do Not Cross offers a pair of NYC police barricades that ironically do exactly what they instruct you not to do - they overlap on a white plane to create the cobbled-together vision of a propped-up cross awaiting a crucifixion.” This interplay between reality and illusion lies at the core of Zelehoski’s work.

 Zelehoski’s formal training took place at Bard College at Simon’s Rock where he earned his Associates Degree in art, followed by the completion of his Bachelor’s Degree at the Universidad Finis Terrae in Santiago, Chile in 2003. Since returning to the states, he has had solo shows in Miami and New York. Zelehoski has received a variety of awards and grants, including a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship and the Artslant’s Golden Frame Award.

Zelehoski’s work continues to draw praise from all corners. Steven Mesler of the Huffington Post remarked that the artist’s work made his trip to The Fountain Art Fair in 2009 worthwhile, writing “I’m glad that I [went] for many reasons, but none more so than finding the work of Michael Zelehoski.” Clearly, Michael Zelehoski is one young artist to keep an eye on.