Michael Chaikin –Short Biography
It was while he was living in Brighton as a doc. that one of his lodgers - an art student - left open a book about Marcel Duchamp - a true nutter but a genius and an unconventional artist who was obviously just having fun, taking the piss and doing whatever he felt like to challenged the art world (and making some really good art along the way)
Chaikin had always worked in clay as a hobby, even during medical school, but he suddenly realised that art can be absolutely anything you want it to be - funny, outrageous, mechanical, mad, beautiful. This was a revelation which opened up a whole new world to him and one which he fell in love with.
The art he wanted to see was mad, crazy, mechanical but also moving and beautiful and really well made as if, dare I say it, by a craftsman!
Fortunately, his sculptures look cronky enough for the brilliant engineering that underpins all his work to pass unnoticed.
Michael Chaikin was born in 1957 studied Medicine and was a hospital doctor for a while before falling in love with Sculpture. He then studied Foundation Studies at Eastbourne Art College, East Sussex, UK in 1986 then Fine Art at Falmouth Art College, Cornwall, UK (1987 - 1990) where he obtained an honours degree in Fine Art.
He taught sculpture at Hawkesbay University, New Zealand and then Joined Red Herring Studios in Brighton as a working sculptor. Exhibited in London, Brighton, Hamburg, Paris with numerous one man shows. He has showscurrently in London, Dubai, Chicago and Qatar.
Currently he has a 50 ft window display in Covent Garden, London.
He lived and worked in Brighton until 1999 then moved to Falmouth, Cornwall, UK to start his own studio complex in a derelict water mill which he renovated and turned into eight studios keeping the largest for himself.
Michael then went on to work with The Eden Project and a number of Theatre Companies making moving sculptures.
Movement is his great obsession. Most of the things he makes move in some way and it is his life’s work to strive to make sculptures that look beautiful when they are still and spectacular when they move.
Michael lives and works in Penzance, Cornwall, UK with his wife and two daughters.
His work is currently in the following countries and continents: Europe, Italy, Switzerland, Holland Germany, France
UK, Jersey, USA, Canada Australia, Dubai, Qatar
Argentina, Brazil and many more.
CV Michael Chaikin
Born 1957 Kingston - on - Thames
1976 - 1981 MBBS Medical Degree, Royal Free Hospital
1986-87 Foundation Studies Eastbourne Art College
1987 - 90 BA Fine Art , Falmouth Art College
1991 - 95 Red herring Studios, Brighton
1995-96 Tutor, Fine Art at Hawkesbay University, New Zealand
1996 - 1999 Red herring Studios, Brighton
1999-2006 Old Grist Mill Studio, Penryn, Cornwall
2005-2006 MA , Falmouth Art College
2006-present day White Caunce Farm Studios, Penzance.
Exhibitions (a selection)
Newlyn Orion Gallery graduate show 1991
Brighton Open Exhibition (winner)1992
Rye Art Gallery 1993 (one person show)
Brighton, Gardner centre 1995 and 1996 (one person show)
Brighton Corn Exchange 1997
London Contemporary Art Gallery, Chelsea. 1997 (one person show)
Peters Barn Gallery, Midhurst Surrey 1998 (one person show)
King St Gallery, Mayfair, London 1998
Hannah Peschar Outdoor Gallery1998
Hamburg 2002
Lemon Street Gallery 2003 and 2009
Paris, Place de la Bastille 2003
Campden Art Gallery 2006 , 2008 (one person show)
London - chelsea town hall 2009
Affordable art fair 2009
Kestle Barton Arts, The Lizard, Cornwall 2010 (one person show)
Majlis Gallery, Dubai, UAE. Feb 2011(one person show)
Hogarth, 164 Shaftsbury Avenue, London July 2011 - present day
"Fish Tank" - a 50ft street level window exhibition (one man show)
Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, Penzance May 2017Lemon Street Gallery, Truro. july 2017
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Commissions and other work
Brighton Marina Large Mobile in Town square 1996
Hampton Court Flower Show - sculpture1997 (winner of silver medal)
Winner of competition to design clock for Farnham Town Centre, Surrey. 1998
Eden Project, Cornwall- Five sculptures commissioned for opening in 2001
Artist in residence - Torquay 2002
Kneehigh Theatre set designer and fabricator 2003
Falmouth Town Centre 3 pieces commissioned 2002 - 2004
Forkbeard Fantasy: mechanical sculptures for “Frankenstein” 2004
Massive Renovation project, Old Grist Mill, Penryn 2002 - 200750ft window for Hogarth (WPP) in Shaftsbury Ave
Window displays for Mulberry London
display for the Cancer research Institute, S. Kensington
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Center For Advanced Eye Care, Florida
Chicago Cut Steakhouse, Chicago, USA
Aspira Katara Hospitality, Qatar.
Etc EtTV
Gardening programs - outdoor sculptures and fountains
Blue Peter- sunflower sculpture
Discovery Channel - Heron’s steam the first ever steam engine
BBC Two (“Downshifters”)1996 -
Hundreds of Private collections around the World
including Ellen Macarthur - the round the world
yachts woman
junior doctor (left) in 1981
And 20 years later with his
"field of sunflowers"
(above) at the Eden Project
in 2001