Michael Ciervo

Volume: Where do you live / where do you work?

Michael Ciervo: I rent a live/work space on the edge of Northern Liberties in Philadelphia.  About 1/3 of the space is dedicated studio.  I’ve been here since 2008.

Volume: What's your day to day studio schedule like?

Ciervo: I have a day job as Assistant Director of the Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery at the University of the Arts.  This can and often does take up a large portion of my time.  I’m happiest when I can get between 4-6 hours a night of studio work.  Weekends are, or course, more flexible.  Saturday mornings are good for research. 

Volume: What kind of work are you currently making?

Ciervo: I like thinking about images existing in a non-functioning static space (an in-between otherness).  They usually (often) are the result of collaged images pulled from vintage fashion ads, the internet, staged photos.  Loss, memory, perception, and sex are all things that inform the work - but narrative ambiguity is key for me. I go back and forth between painting as prop and painting as spiritual surrogate – I’m not sure of their function yet.

On a fundamental level, the craft of painting is something that I’ve always struggled with – but the system of painting (things like labor and illusion) and problem solving is endlessly appealing.  

My goal this year though is to think outside of images.

Volume: Who's work have you been looking at lately?

Ciervo: Richard Aldrich, Willa Nasatir, Gerard Malanga. 

Volume: What was the last show you saw in person that impacted your work?

Ciervo: I’m generally a quick read when it comes to seeing exhibitions, unless it’s an immersive environment or something that’s really confusing or transcendent. 

Working at a gallery, in a preparatory capacity, I have the weird luxury of dismantling exhibitions, repairing the space, working with artists, etc.  Artists that maybe I would’ve dismissed before, I usually gain an appreciation for, sometimes deeply.  

The Paul Lee show we did last year was exceptional. I think there is a lot of struggle there, in those works. And vulnerability and intimacy through objects is something that can be very moving and universal. 

Also, on a surface level, our show with Hugh Scott-Douglas really demonstrated the impact of presenting 2d works with sonic accompaniment.