Michael Z Taylor: The Willfulness of Being – Finale
July 13 — August 30 2024
The body of work exhibited in Michael Z Taylor’s The Willfulness of Being – Finale represents a lifetime of dedication to the craft as the artist explores the essence of what it means to exist and the unique qualities that make each living Being remarkable. The sublime photography of Michael Z Taylor’s final show at Don Dexter Gallery will be on view through August 30.
Join the artist for an opening reception on July 13, 1-4pm, with light bites and refreshments served. On Saturday, August 10, at 1pm, Robin Cushman presents Michael Z Taylor for an interactive artist talk.
Featured Artworks
Please visit our gallery July 13 — August 30 to view the exhibit. We are open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am-5pm.
If you would like to purchase one of his artworks, please contact sales@dondextergallery.com
Artist Statement
Michael Z Taylor began this journey following a diagnosis that encouraged him to consider mortality an unavoidable part of life. Personal experiences, especially those related to mortality, can’t help but influence creative expression. But he chose, in this final series, to explore the essence of what it means to exist and the unique qualities that make each living Being remarkable. Each is an individual in a world full of living individuals whose authentic selves follow a singular path from its beginning, through its life, and to its end. He found this intimate Willfulness of Being to be an essential part of the infinite and timeless expression of life itself.
BEINGNESS
The essence of existence and which embodies the intentions and experiences that define a Being’s presence in the world.
WILLFULNESS
The agency of existence and which is to act with intention or deliberate purpose in the service of Being.
AS THE VIEWER
Try to inhabit the space between literal and metaphoric, between physical Beingness and what it means to Be.
“What it’s of is always more remarkable than what it is”.
–Diane Arbus–
Press Release
In his final show at Don Dexter Gallery, the highly esteemed photographer Michael Z Taylor presents The Willfulness of Being – Finale. Mastering the technique of capturing the beingness of living things, especially trees, Taylor invites the viewer to inhabit the space of beingness and what it means to be. Actively involved in the community through his art, Michael Z Taylor is a perennial favorite of Don Dexter Gallery.
The introspective body of work in this exhibition resonates with the profound connection that the artist shares with the concept of being. The Willfulness of Being – Finale does not represent an end product from a lifetime of creating art but a point along his continuing journey and all that has come before and what will remain after. Works on display through August 30, 2024, include Tending the Garden, 2023, and The Breath of Falling Water, 2023.
An opening reception will be held on Saturday, July 13, from 1 to 4pm. Guest artist Robin Cushman presents Michael Z Taylor for our interactive Saturday Session artist talk on Saturday, August 10, at 1pm.