Critical Mass

Enamoured by the limits of human potential, Michael Kagan paints dynamic, freeze-frame tributes to contemporary heroism.

Critical Mass combines a large-scale screenprint on Somerset Tub Sized Satin White 600gsm paper with a 3 layer monoprint, hand-applied in viscous blue and white ink and finished with several layers of UV varnish.

To create the series, a bespoke silkscreen process was developed over 2 years to echo an earlier work by Kagan in which excess oil paint was dragged across the surface of a photograph found in a book on big wave surfing. 

The result is a series of 16 richly-textured prints, no two the same and each one imbued with the ephemeral nature of the moment — one of critical mass — that they seek to capture. 

Framing

All prints from the series arrive float-mounted in a bespoke wooden frame, painted white and fitted with UV plexiglass for protection.