I SAW YOU AT MY FUNERAL

Exhibition Dates: 09.10.16 - 11.04.16
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 10th, 2016 | 6-9pm

As a child drawing cartoons and skateboard graphics, Mike Egan expressed an ever-present interest in skeletons and devils. Later in life, his fascination with mortality led to a career working in funeral homes, where he was constantly surrounded by death and mourning. This immersion into the most intimate and painful moments of life had a lasting influence on Egan’s acrylic paintings on panel. He started painting not only the stories of those who have passed, but the stories of those left behind after one's passing; the mourners, the lovers, the hurt and the relieved. His works are visual anecdotes; capturing sepulchral moments in time, presented to the viewer with whimsy and wit.

The new paintings Egan created for “I Saw You at My Funeral” are a look at his continued obsession with the idea of life and death. In light of recent world events and the way they are portrayed by the media, the subject matter is more important to him now than ever before. “There are so many tragic shootings and acts of violence in the world and it is constantly spoon fed to us through the media. These paintings act as a reminder to me that there are so many people to say ‘goodbye’ to, and that we must not forget them.”