Edwards, Michael

Michael Edwards (born 1975, Nassau, The Bahamas) is a design thinker and media artist who explores the intersection of art and science. His paintings and installations utilize an inter-disciplinary approach to his creative practice, drawing audiences into fascinating dialogues about the boundaries of these not-so-separate worlds.

Edwards first explored his creative capabilities at the College of The Bahamas earning his Associate’s in Art in 1993. Inspired by a French class he took at the institution and wishing to escape his comfort zone, he headed to Paris to study French at the Universite Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux III and drawing at the Ecole National Superieure des Beaux-Arts. A year later, he started his studies at The Rhode Island School of Design, earning his BFA in Painting in 2000.

Returning to Nassau, Edwards became part of the burgeoning contemporary art community at Popopstudios International Center for the Visual Arts, creating work for exhibitions such as Dialogue (2002), 24x24 (2003), Xhbt a (2003) and Grey Matter (2004). His artwork was also included in the Inaugural National Exhibition in 2003 at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. Meanwhile, in 2002, he also began his teaching career at the College of The Bahamas as an instructor in Drawing Fundamentals and Introduction to Graphic Design.

In 2004, Edwards embarked on a Masters of Science, Innovation Design--Art and Technology at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, to further solidify his interdisciplinary interest in art and science. Resulting pieces, such as Escaped Exotics and Kackerlacka utilize nature to explore its relationship to culture.

Edwards combined his interest in this subject matter and love of teaching in 2007 as an instructor in Environmental Art at the Cape Eleuthera Island School in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, before relocating back to Nassau in 2009 to take up a Senior Education Officer position at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. He is currently a visual arts lecturer at the College of The Bahamas.

In 2013, the artist worked on an environmental public art initiative to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Bahamian Independence. Michael has been a visiting critic at Valand School of Fine Arts, The University of Gothenburg, Sweden and studio assistant at Sam Gilliam Studio, Washington, D.C. He has participated it numerous exhibitions in North America, Europe and The Bahamas; selected venues include Cinque Gallery, New York; The Boston Center for the Arts - MillsGallery; Trollhättan Art Museum, Sweden; FYR Arte Contemporanea, Italy; Nassauischer Kunstverein, Germany; and the Inaugural National Exhibition at The National Gallery of The Bahamas.

In 2004, Edwards embarked on a Masters of Science, Art and Technology at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, to further solidify his interdisciplinary interest in art and science. Resulting pieces, such as Escaped Exotics and Kackerlacka utilize nature to explore its relationship to culture.

Untitled II (2000) by Micheal Edwards, 85” x 32”