Drawing at once from design, literature and autobiography, Michael Stamm probes the need for genuine human relationships in a world that is somehow both increasingly interconnected and deeply alienated. Exploring themes of identity, physical and spiritual wellness, self-actualization and self-doubt, Stamm’s practice playfully oscillates between distanced, abstract contemplation and erratic, self-conscious confession. Stamm’s paintings and drawings critically consider the popular tenets of our time with a wry sincerity, reconciling hope and skepticism in an era that requires large doses of both.

For Misandrist Hex, the artist shares, "I made this painting after I read Sabbath's Theater by Philip Roth this summer. it’s about… what it’s like (hypothetically) to imagine and inhabit female subjectivity… when you’re a narcissist and misogynist… who thinks all women are conspiring against you… he was a sicko"