Michael Pribich

About

American,   —   Artfare Bio Michael Pribich is a visual artist living in New York City with his wife Esperanza Cortes. He was born and raised in Northern California. He is interested in the artist's role in advancing ideas that lead to continual growth and change. His work uses labor to address themes of displacement and migration in both a rural and urban settings. He explores the idea that labor can be viewed as cultural production, resulting in an expanded social space. Work Statement. The social conditions of labor informs my art practice. The awful ache I feel when I see the mistreatment of workers anywhere in the world informs my work. This interest comes from my own family history with grandparents on both sides working as immigrant laborers. My Mother’s father was employed as a farm and cannery worker after relocating from Chihuahua, Mexico. My core belief is that in recognizing labor as cultural production there becomes an expanded social space. During the pandemic a remarkable swing has occurred shifting Essential Workers from the margins of society closer to the center in terms of recognition, production, and hierarchy. Art has the transformative potential to show us how to live more full and inclusive lives. The goal being to encourage and recognize cultural production from the entire human presence instead of disparate segments.