Artist Statement:
My work explores the profound connection between the past, the present and the possible future. Expanding on inherited traditional vessel-making into sculptures assemblage with objects. By intertwining history and modernity, I investigate and examine the complexities of the human condition in relation to labor, identity, and globalization. Through contrasting elements, my works evoke emotions fostering a reflection on our timeless human essence. In essence, invites the contemplation of how our bodies become an extension of the world around us.
Bio:
Michael Dela Dika is an artist and educator. Dika is a current resident artist at Tyler School and Architecture in Philadelphia. Dika has received numerous awards including the 2022 Multicultural Fellowship Award (NCECA). His work has been shown nationally and internationally including Germany-Berlin, Virginia, Florida, Oregon, Delaware Contemporary, Biggs Museum of American Art, his first Museum Solo Show at Berman Museum of Art, PA with two upcoming museum shows at Richmond Museum and The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia. Dika Michael’s work conveys feelings of displacement and belonging, exploring and negotiating the complex terrain of identity, globalization and labor.
