micah ganske: tomorrowland

micah ganske, 'centralia' (2011)
acrylic on muslin
113 x 166 in (287 x 420 cm)


the 'tomorrowland' series by hawaii-born, new york-based artist micah ganske highlights the 'casualties of technology'
within the united states by depicting the shadows of planes, telescopes, satellites, and other devices hovering over
the landscapes of toxic and abandoned areas. the series, as well as 3D printed models ganske created of the sites depicted,
is on exhibition through january 13th at RH gallery in new york.

ganske composes his works by meticulously compositing images found on the internet, a process that takes up to six months,
before undertaking a self-developed process of staining untreated muslin with diluted acrylic paint. the porosity of the surface
means that each piece must be executed without error.



micah ganske, 'love canal: virgin galactic spaceship two' (2011)
acrylic on muslin
14 x 14 in (36 x 36 cm)


'tomorrowland' documents the casualties of the american towns of greenpoint and love canal, new york; bethlehem and centralia,
pennsylvania; detroit, michigan; and picher, ohio. over each, ganske imposes the looming shadow of a symbol of what he calls
'aspirational technology', effecting a contrast between the progressive potential and excitement of technological development
and its fallouts.



micah ganske, 'greenpoint' (2010)
acrylic on muslin
120 x 168 in (305 x 427 cm)



micah ganske, 'centralia, neighborhood' (2011)
acrylic on muslin
15 x 15 in (38 x 38 cm)


the 'centralia' paintings, for example, reference the story of centralia, pennsylvania, which was largely abandoned
during the early eighties when the massive coal reserves on which the town sits ignited. while the city still burns
to this day, several residents-- including the town's mayor-- have refused to leave. ganske depicts the town shadowed
with the lunar entry module from apollo 11, which brought neil armstrong and buzz aldrin to the moon in 1969.



micah ganske, 'michigan central' (2011)
acrylic on muslin
14 x 16 in (36 x 41 cm)



micah ganske, 'bethlehem steel: the yard' (2011)
acrylic on muslin
17 x 16 in (42 x 41 cm)



left: micah ganske, 'centralia, cemetery' (2011); acrylic on muslin; 20 x 15 in (51 x 38 cm)
right: micah ganske, 'james tiberius kirk' (2011); ABS plastic; 3.75 x 4 x 4 in (9 x 10 x 10 cm), edition of 5



micah ganske, 'bethlehem steel' (2011)
acrylic on muslin
76 x 54 in (193 x 137 cm)



detail of micah ganske, 'bethlehem steel' (2011)
acrylic on muslin
76 x 54 in (193 x 137 cm)



video documentation of 'tomorrow land' and the process of creating 'green point', the first painting of the series