b. 1981 Katonah, NY
Mike Rothfeld is an artist living in SW Connecticut. He received his MFA in Fine Art and MA in Visual and Critical Studies from California College of the Arts (CCA) and his BFA in Photography and Imaging from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University (NYU).
Rothfeld’s lo-fi, intentionally awkward sculptures function as both set-pieces and props for the science-fiction and fantasy narrative vignettes that unfold in his studio. These works reimagine the legacies of colonialism, Manifest Destiny, and westward expansion in the context of outer space, envisioning the artifacts and remnants these histories might leave behind in a distant, speculative future. His sculptures blend playful absurdity, camp, and a sense of melancholy, underscored by a subtle tension of foreboding.
Driven by a deep concern over the limitations of our collective imagination in envisioning viable alternative futures, Rothfeld's work seeks to reconcile this struggle with a yearning for hope. In his practice, he draws on an era of visual media—where special effects demanded a viewer's full suspension of disbelief to engage with an imagined world—creating works that echo the unresolved contradictions of both historical and speculative narratives.
Rothfeld’s work has been displayed at The Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Southern Exposure, the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, Alter Space Gallery, and San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA; the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT; Jan Larsen’s Xpo, Brooklyn, NY; the Beacon Artist Union, Beacon, NY; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, London, England; among other venues. His writing has appeared in Art Practical and Stairwell’s exhibition and compilation publications.