Collection: Mike Chavez | Artist

Mike Chavez is a contemporary artist who was classically trained as a traditional animator in the 1990s, working for over twenty years with studios including Disney, Warner Brothers and DreamWorks. In 2006, he switched his focus to fine art and quickly gained recognition for his technical skill and uncompromising subject matter.

Mike Chavez's bold mixed media artwork references everything from film and cartoons to pop culture, combining drawing, painting, screen print, spray paint and stencils. His themes are extremely varied, ranging from human relationships to gun violence, racism and sexuality, making his contemporary urban art as provocative as it is visually striking.

In 2009, Mike Chavez was nominated as a finalist for the Archibald Prize, Australia's most prestigious portrait award. He has exhibited in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Belgium, London and New York.

"At 18, I got my first professional art job as an editorial cartoonist. This role of social commentator continues to inform my practice today and I strive to create work that imparts a message, that speaks to something higher. After animating on countless Saturday morning TV shows I'm loathe to make art without a deeper meaning. Otherwise it's just more landfill." - Mike Chavez

Mike Chavez is now based in Byron Bay, Australia, where his favourite activities are coffee and surfing. His limited-edition prints and original artworks are sought after by collectors of contemporary pop art, urban art and figurative art looking for bold, thought-provoking pieces with real cultural bite.