About

Michael Filipek’s work explores the role of tools and materials as fundamental drivers of creation. His mixed-media pieces take on sculptural form through embedded instruments, layered surfaces, and a heavy use of texture. Ready-made and well-used tools are recontextualized as he arranges and paints over them, allowing familiar objects to take on a new presence.

By incorporating instruments originally designed to make other objects, Filipek creates a connection between the viewer and the processes of making itself. The work invites attention to the often-overlooked tools and materials that enable creation. As the scale of the panels increases—or as multiple panels and objects are combined—the viewer becomes further immersed in an environment of close observation. Through this process, tools and materials become the primary ingredients of the work, deepening the connection to the instruments and elements that make creation possible.