Michael Hambouz (b. Niles, Michigan, 1977) is a multidisciplinary artist, multi-instrumentalist musician, and independent curator based in Brooklyn, NY. Hambouz creates chromaesthesia-influenced works – experiments in dimension and color made under the guidance of music – to process bouts of loss and reflections on life in the rural Midwest, New York City, and in the cybersphere as a first-generation Palestinian-American. Experimenting freely with mediums, he encourages unexpected results and mutations in compositional form to bloom in the studio, resulting in conceptually abstracted paintings and prints, intricate layered paper cut outs, sculpture, drawings and animations.
Solo/two-person exhibitions include Elijah Wheat Showroom (Newburgh, NY) Spring/Break Art Show (NYC), Neighbors (NYC), chashama (NYC), Kayrock (NYC), Troutbeck (Amenia, NY), The Krasl Art Center (St. Joseph, MI), 3S Artspace (Portsmouth, NH), Future Fairs with Talia Levitt (NYC), Brooklyn Academy of Music with Michael O’Shea (NYC), and a 20-year survey exhibition at Antioch College (Yellow Springs, OH) in 2018. Select group exhibitions include The National Arts Club (NYC), Club Rhubarb (NYC), Deanna Evans Projects (NYC), Andrew Edlin Gallery (NYC), IPCNY (NYC), GROWROOM//SHOWROOM (NYC), Wassaic Project (Wassaic, NY), Standard Space (Sharon, CT), Dominique Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), Northern-Southern (Austin, TX), Eve Leibe Gallery (London, UK), and The Centre for Contemporary Printmaking, (Bangor, N. Ireland). His art and curatorial work have been featured in Artnet News, The New York Times, Design Milk, Hyperallergic, Two Coats of Paint, and Vice. His work can be seen in the collections of Antioch College, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, Niles History Center, and Fidelity Corporate Art Collection.
C/V
SELECT SOLO / TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2024 Loves Cats, Hates Catastrophes, Elijah Wheat Showroom, Newburgh, NY
2023 That’s Allegorical Folks!, curated by Ambre Kelly and Andrew Gori, Spring/Break Art Show, New York, NY
Hot Blooded, curated by Will Hutnick, presented by Wassaic Project at Troutbeck, Amenia, NY
Dabblegänger, Neighbors, New York, NY
2020 Lauren Powell Presents: Michael Hambouz & Talia Levitt, Future Fairs, New York, NY
2019 Factory Made, 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH
2018 Drank the Water (survey 1999-2018), Herndon Gallery at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH
2016 Rock Paper Scissors, Kayrock, Brooklyn, NY
Factory Made, Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI
Pretty in Pink, Calico Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2014 Factory Made, Durst Organization and chashama, 1133 Ave of Americas, New York, NY
2013 Collaborative Culture (with Michael O'Shea), Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY
SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 I Was Only Dreaming, Club Rhubarb, New York, NY
Rema Hort Mann Foundation 25th Anniversary Gala and Art Auction, New York, NY
Future Fair, presented by Paradice Palase, New York, NY
Summer Alumni Exhibition, Herndon Gallery, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH
Friends of Neighbors, Neighbors, New York, NY
2022 A Tournament of Lies, Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY
The Patriot, O’Flaherty’s, New York, NY
Festo Fest, Northern-Southern, Austin, TX
Publicolor’s Stir, Splatter + Roll Benefit Art Auction, New York, NY
2021 Country Come to Town, curated by Courtney Childress, Standard Space, Sharon, CT
Apparitions, Paradice Palase, Brooklyn, NY
Paper Cuts, curated by Alexander Deschampes, Loft Projects, Chappaqua, NY
Moved Still Lives, curated by Lauren Powell, 961 Chung King Road, Los Angeles, CA
BAM Art Auction Benefit, Brooklyn, NY
Publicolor’s Stir, Splatter + Roll Benefit Art Auction, NYC
Cave Canem, curated by Lauren Powell, Eve Leibe Gallery, London, UK
2020 What was Said to the Rose, curated by Molly Surno, Dominique Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Works on Paper, Lauren Powell Presents, Brooklyn, NY
Ransom 2, curated George Ferrandi, Wayfarers, Brooklyn, NY
E-Motionø Support Group, curated by Lauren Powell, Art of This World, Brooklyn, NY
Publicolor’s Stir, Splatter + Roll Benefit Art Auction, New York, NY
Food Bank For NYC: Emergency Benefit Auction, curated by Doron Langberg,Yossi Milo Gallery, NYC
GIFC, The Hole, New York, NY
Plate Party 2020, Boehm Gallery, San Marcos, CA
Faces of Death 2019, GROWROOM // SHOWROOM, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Haven Press Print Release: Pat Berran, Michael Hambouz, and Erik Otto, Kinfolk, Brooklyn, NY
Mediums II, Lorimoto, Ridgewood, NY
Quid Bro Quo, Vol II, curated by Alexander Deschamps, Fresh Window Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Inland Beach Ball, Northern-Southern, Austin, TX
(Cut)3 x (Paste)3: Insa Al-soqi, Michael Hambouz, Amanda Mathis, Lorimoto, Ridgewood, NY
Big Ringer, curated by Andrew Guenther, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
Pulled in Brooklyn, International Print Center New York, New York, NY
BAM Art Auction Benefit, Brooklyn Expo Center, Brooklyn, NY
Publicolor’s Stir, Splatter + Roll Benefit Art Auction, New York, NY
Faces of Death 2018, GROWROOM // SHOWROOM, Brooklyn, NY
2018 Under Construction, Booklyn, Brooklyn, NY
Picnic, curated by Aimee Lusty, Calico Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Arts Council's AccessArt Benefit, Brooklyn, NY
BAM Art Auction Benefit, Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, NY
Publicolor’s Stir, Splatter + Roll Benefit Art Auction, New York, NY
2017 The Likes of Us, curated by Maya Hayuk and Alethia Weingarten, GR//SR, Brooklyn, NY
Hot Off the Presses, The National Arts Club, New York, NY
Control Within Chaos, The Centre for Contemporary Printmaking, Bangor, N. Ireland
Vive Art Benefit, Honey Ramka, Brooklyn, NY
Art For Hurricane Relief, Chinatown Soup Gallery, New York, NY
Sanctuary Protest: Benefit for Make the Road NY, Park Church Co-op, Brooklyn, NY
FPOAFM: Plate Party, Calico Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Market Art + Design, The Bridgehampton Museum, Bridgehampton, NY
BAM Art Auction Benefit, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY
RRK Awards Benefit for Pratt I.D. Student Scholarships, Knoll Showroom, New York, NY
2016 Brooklyn Arts Council's 50th Anniversary AccessArt Benefit, Brooklyn, NY
BAM Art Auction Benefit, Bridget Donahue Gallery, New York, NY
Mackin Projects Art Bar, Site 57, New York, NY
E/AB Fair 2016, Kayrock, New York, NY
2015 BAM Art Auction Benefit, Cheim & Read, New York, NY
Visual AIDS’ Postcards from the Edge, Luhring Augustine, New York, NY
Just Friends, M. Carter, Brooklyn, NY
2014 Over the Edge: Paperworks Unbound, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY
Fountain Art Fair, 69th Regiment Armory, New York, NY
AWARDS
2023 Artist in Residence, The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY
2022 Artist in Residence, The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY
95-99 Bonner Scholar, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH
CURATORIAL
2015 Mediums: Chrissy Angliker, Christina Carrozza, Chantel Foretich, David Melrose, Sara Marie Miller,Markus Weaver, Ebru Yildiz + Mitchell King, Calico Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Mediums II: Margot Bird, Milton Carter, Michael Hambouz, Maya Hayuk, Hank Hivnor, Kelly Medford,John Orth, Mike Paré, Rebecca Reeve, Lorimoto Gallery, Ridgewood, NY
2013- Faces of Death: annual collaborative artist drawing tribute project, international
PRESS / PUBLICATIONS / FEATURES
2024 HYPERALLERGIC, “10 Exhibitions to See in Upstate New York This April”, Thomas, Taliesin (Mar 2024)
THE NEW YORK TIMES, “On the Lower East Side, a Secret Space, a Mini-Biennial”, Smith, Roberta (Jan 2024)
ARTNET NEWS, “Remembrance, Loss, and Rhubarb at Gallerist Tony Cox’s New Playhouse”, Van Meter, William (Jan 2024)
2023 TWO COATS OF PAINT, “Selected Paintings from SPRING/BREAK NYC 2023”, Sanders, Fay & Szantyr, Bob (Sep 2023)
ARTNET NEWS, “A Trip to Spring Break Art Show…”, Cascone, Sarah (Sep 2023)
ARTEEAST, “Artist Spotlight with Michael Hambouz”, Nazemian, Lila (Apr 2023)
DESIGN MILK, “F5: Michael Hambouz Feeds Creativity with Creativity”, Beall, Kelly (Mar 2023)
2022 ARTSIN SQUARE MAGAZINE, Issue 2
2021 ARTNET NEWS, “Art Industry News: Limited Edition Peace for Palestine Benefit T-Shirt Sells Out – Palestinian American artist Hambouz…” (June 2021)
WHITEHOT MAGAZINE, “Moved Still Lives Group Show in Chinatown, Los Angeles” (July 2021)
2020 ARTIST PORTRAITS VOL I: 2015-2020, Ryazansky, Maxim. (2020)
BYRON ARTS MAGAZINE (Australia), Issue 17 (Sep 2020)
QUARANZINE, Issue 3, Lost Retainer Collective (Aug 2020)
ARTNET NEWS, “Editors’ Picks: 9 Events for Your Virtual Art Calendar This Week”, Cascone, Sarah. (June 2020)
2019 ARTNET NEWS, “Can a Session with a Medium Spark Creativity?”, Cascone, Sarah. (October 2019)
ARTNET NEWS, “Editors’ Picks: 16 Things Not to Miss in NY’s Art World This Week”, Cascone, Sarah. (Feb 2019)
2018 ARTNET NEWS, "Editors’ Picks: 11 Things to See in New York This Week", Cascone, Sarah. (Jan 2018)
STREET ART NEWS, “Closing Party: “THE LIKES OF US”, Eller, Matthew. (Jan 2018)
2017 PICNIC, "Picnic #15: Michael Hambouz", Lusty, Aimee. (Dec 2017)
CREATE! MAGAZINE, "Multi-Dimensional Perspectives: Interview with M. Hambouz", Popova, Ekaterina. (Nov 2017)
ARTNET NEWS, "Editors’ Picks: 10 Things to See in New York This Week", Cascone, Sarah. (May 2017)
2016 DESIGN MILK, "Rock, Paper, Scissors: An Evolution in Work by Michael Hambouz", Wong, Nanette. (Dec 2016)
ARTNET NEWS, "‘F.O.D.’ Artists Honor Celebrities Lost in 2016: An art project provides a moment of reflection.", Cascone, Sarah. (Dec 2016)
2015 ARTNET NEWS, "Artists Who Died in 2015 Get Immortalized in 'F.O.D.' Art Project", Cascone, Sarah. (Dec 2015)
HYPERALLERGIC, “Artists Visit a Spiritual Medium and Make Work About It”, Meier, Allison. (Mar 2015)
DNA INFO Dai, Serena. “Sessions with Psychic Inspire Greenpoint Gallery Show” (Feb 2015)
2014 NY MAGAZINE’S BEDFORD + BOWERY, “Tommy Ramone, Joan Rivers and 80+ Others Come Back For One Last Party”, Maurer, Daniel (Dec 2014).
DESIGN MILK, "Factory Made: Abstract Scenes Made from Hand-Cut Paper", Williamson, Caroline. (Oct 2014).
HOW MAGAZINE, “Cut Paper Artwork Exhibition to Check Out”, Aszman, Amanda. (Oct 2014).
GREENPOINTERS, “Studio visit & interview with artist Michael Hambouz”, Abelis, Ona (Oct 2014).
SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE, “Raised in Niles, NY artist honors his mother and his roots”, Bagley, Landa. (Oct 2014).
GREENPOINT GAZETTE, “Greenpoint Artist’s Work Celebrates Small, Independent Manufacturing”, Warerkar, Tanay.(Oct 2014).
INHABITAT NYC, “...‘Factory Made’ Collages Illustrate the Colorful Papermaking Process”, Jewell, Nicole. (Sep 2014).
NILES DAILY STAR, “The French Paper Connection”, Haupert, Craig. (Sep 2014).
VICE, “Illustrators Pay Tribute to Robin Williams”, Gazin, Nick. (Aug 2014).
COLLECTIONS
Antioch College
Comunilife Woodhull Residence
Fidelity Corporate Art Collection
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Niles History Center
NYU Langone Medical Center
EDUCATION
1999 Antioch College, BA Painting and Sculpture; Minor: Video
PROFESSIONAL WORK IN THE ARTS
2016- Studio/Mural Assistant, Maya Hayuk Studio
2012- Freelance Fundraising Consultant for the Arts