Michael Azgour

"Pixels: Image as Mythology"

at the Fresno Art Museum from 02/8/2025 - 06/29/2025

Pixels is a collaborative exhibition showcasing the talents of painter Michael Azgour and textile artist Michael F. Rohde. In Image as Mythology, Azgour investigates the myriad ways images have historically been used to narrate stories. The exhibition's works are varied, featuring grand portraits of artists, a vast tribute to Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, and abstracted outdoor scenes, all examining imagery within our modern context. These pieces are part of an ongoing series of figurative paintings by Michael Azgour (b. 1979, Los Angeles, CA) and his studio, blending hard-edge geometric abstractions (or “pixels”) with expressive representational painting techniques. The resulting images oscillate between representing something beyond themselves and existing as standalone entities. Viewers are encouraged to interact with the artworks, thereby participating in their completion.

"This series examines the widespread presence of photography in modern culture and its evolving impact on personal experiences. I use images to delve into our shared experiences within a rapidly moving digital landscape. My method of creating works and applying layers of paint highlights the different directions painting and photography have pursued over the last century as fine art forms."