A new body of paintings examining historical citation, theatrical suspension, and the instability of representation. Embedding canonical images within contemporary compositions, Michael Corner collapses past and present without hierarchy. Meaning accumulates through sustained looking.
Michael Corner’s paintings examine how images migrate across time. In Cliché, historical references reappear within contemporary compositions that resist narrative closure, asking viewers to remain within uncertainty rather than resolve it.
Opening Reception
May 8, 2026 — 6:00–9:00 PM
Artist Conversation:
Sandrine Welte in conversation with
Michael Corner — May 8, 5:00–6:00 PM
Expanding on Welte’s exhibition essay, the conversation will examine temporality, historical citation, and the persistence of painting as a critical medium.
Read essay by Dr. Sandrine Welte >Cantieri del Contemporaneo, Fondamenta de la Giudecca 211, 30133 Venezia VE, Italy
A reference is not a solution.
The past is never stable.