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Artist Michael Beitz creates sculptures and large-scale installations inspired by various functions of furniture. In his art pieces he combines design and craftsmanship with conceptual issues of contemporary art.
Beitz received his MFA from the University of Buffalo and now teaches as an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Dealing with the cultural value of furniture, such as dining tables, couches and benches, Beitz undermines the object’s functionality. Among other things he created there are twisted and lengthened tables, a picnic area grouped to form a huge question mark and knotted sofas. With this approach the artist questions the object’s determination as a place of social interaction. Instead he transforms furniture items into spaces of intimacy and isolation. Even though the humorous element is obvious, Beitz’s works also spotlight the complexity of human relations. His work has been mostly exhibited all around the USA, finding its way to Banksy’s Dismaland in 2015.
