Michael Hayter
My work in figurative drawing, painting and sculpture is essentially about the human condition.
Originally derived from my experiences of depression, it has grown into an exploration of what is
now called 'depth psychology'-the internal experiences of the individual which are common to all
humanity, and which impinge on profound experiences of existence.
Relationship and isolation, family and childhood, deprivation and need, vulnerability and power-
these are institutions, forces and structures that are both of the outside world and inside of us. My
work begins in the personal and looks inward and outward in the same moment.
Not surprisingly, in my life as well as in my work, this has touched on spirituality, psychology,
politics, the religious impulse, and - in no small way - the animal nature of human beings.
My influences are many and various - I am particularly drawn to Medieval, Renaissance and
Romantic art, both stylistically and for their symbolic dealings with human experience - but l am
also influenced by other art forms, including comics art (such as Manga), political and social
satirical cartoons, TV imagery, and the experiences of everyday life.
The satirical prints of James Gillray, the pessimistic (but grotesquely playful) work of William
Blake's mysticism and the surreal history painting of Neo Rauch, all serve as powerful guides in my
work at the centre of which lies an intense interest in humanity.
I am based in Bristol and currently have a studio at Spike Island Artspace.
Michael Hayter
(August 2020)
www.michaelhayter.blogspot.com
Instagram: @haytermichael
Twitter: @MichaeIHayte
Originally derived from my experiences of depression, it has grown into an exploration of what is
now called 'depth psychology'-the internal experiences of the individual which are common to all
humanity, and which impinge on profound experiences of existence.
Relationship and isolation, family and childhood, deprivation and need, vulnerability and power-
these are institutions, forces and structures that are both of the outside world and inside of us. My
work begins in the personal and looks inward and outward in the same moment.
Not surprisingly, in my life as well as in my work, this has touched on spirituality, psychology,
politics, the religious impulse, and - in no small way - the animal nature of human beings.
My influences are many and various - I am particularly drawn to Medieval, Renaissance and
Romantic art, both stylistically and for their symbolic dealings with human experience - but l am
also influenced by other art forms, including comics art (such as Manga), political and social
satirical cartoons, TV imagery, and the experiences of everyday life.
The satirical prints of James Gillray, the pessimistic (but grotesquely playful) work of William
Blake's mysticism and the surreal history painting of Neo Rauch, all serve as powerful guides in my
work at the centre of which lies an intense interest in humanity.
I am based in Bristol and currently have a studio at Spike Island Artspace.
Michael Hayter
(August 2020)
www.michaelhayter.blogspot.com
Instagram: @haytermichael
Twitter: @MichaeIHayte
