Michael Garlington:
Installation Artist, Photographer, Muralist and Sculptor
Raised in Petaluma, California, among a vibrant mix of hippies, farmers, and artisans, Michael Garlington was surrounded by creative diversity from a young age. The son of a journalist and a photographer, his exposure to both worlds shaped his path. At 17, Garlington began working at Spindler Photographic in San Francisco, where he honed his craft in black-and-white film development and printing, working alongside some of the Bay Area’s top photographers. This early experience set the stage for his creative journey.
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By age 21, Garlington embarked on his artistic mission, not just photographing the world but creating new ones for his portraits to inhabit. His work merges photography with sculpture, using hand-built backdrops and objects to form "photosculptures." These creations capture luminous, often stark imagery that explores the breadth of human emotion and experience.
In 2000, at 23, Garlington launched the ambitious PhotoCar project, traveling across the U.S. and Europe in a car covered in his photos. This mobile art installation sparked spontaneous interactions with people, deepening his connection with the Americana spirit.
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Garlington’s creativity found a new outlet when he joined the Department of Public Works for Burning Man from 2008 to 2013, helping build Black Rock City. His time there fueled his imagination and led to the creation of six Burning Man Honorarium projects, many completed with partner Natalia Bertotti, culminating in the Chapel of Babel in 2023.
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Today, Garlington continues to push boundaries, pursuing public commissions and exhibitions and developing his intimate, fantastical portrait style. His work remains a vivid exploration of the human experience, emotion, and the power of creativity.
Note: Thanks to Paul Mahder Gallery for their initial biography of Michael Garlington.
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Awards, Commissions & Exhibitions
​HONORS & AWARDS
Chapel of Babel, Burning Man Honorarium, Black Rock City, NV. September 2023.
Totem of Confessions, Burning Man Honorarium, Black Rock City, NV. 2015.
PhotoChapel, Burning Man Honorarium, Black Rock City, NV. 2013.
EGO, Burning Man Honorarium, Black Rock City, NV. 2012. Constructed Realities, 111 Minna, San Francisco, CA. March 2013.
PHOTO HOUSE, National Endowment of the Arts and Andy Warhol Visual Arts Foundation at SF Camerawork, 2012.
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COMMISSIONS
Temple of the Inner Heart, Love Burn, Miami, FL. February 2025.
Petaluma Fairgrounds Mural, Petaluma, CA. August 2024.
Toby’s Wall Mural, Toby’s, Point Reyes, CA. July, 2024.
Keeper of the Wasteland, Electric Forest, Rothbury, MI. June, 2024.
Totem Di Rosa, Di Rosa Museum of Contemporary Art, Napa, CA. October 2023.
Journey to the Cloud, Google Campus, Mountain View, CA, May 2022.
Edwardian Ball 3-D Shadowboxes, San Francisco, CA. February, 2022.
Tincture Temple, Buckeye Ranch, Petaluma, CA. April 2021.
Harvey-30’ Adobe Structural Bunny, Buckeye Ranch, Petaluma, CA. June 2020.
Ceramic Fountain. Private Residence. Petaluma, Ca. June 2016.
Booth, Anne and Mark’s Art Party, San Jose, CA. 2014.
COLLECTIONS
Permanent Collection, GIRL FROM OH, Dayton Art Museum, Dayton, OH, 2002.
Permanent Collection, THE MAIN ART PROJECT, Susan Sarandon’s Paper Dress and print
“Field of Lillies”, Hilton, Virginia Beach, Virginia. December 2016.
Shrine of Shiva, with HIGH ART Gallery, Art BASEL, Miami. December 2016.
EXHIBITIONS
Paper Arch, Oakland Art Museum, NO SPECTATORS, Oakland, CA. October 2019.
Paper Arch, Cincinnati Art Museum, NO SPECTATORS, Cincinnati, OH. June-September 2019.
Paper Arch, Smithsonian Museum of American Art, NO SPECTATORS, Washington, DC. March 2018.
Hermitage Museum. Norfolk, Virginia. June 2017.
McLoughlin Gallery, 49 Geary, San Francisco, CA. October 2016.
Mystery & Narrative, SLATE Gallery, Oakland. July 2016.
One Man Show, JCO Gallery, Los Gatos, CA. October 2015.
One Man Show, 209 Gallery, Mill Valley, CA. 2014.
Joint Show, PHOTO Oakland, CA. October 2014.
One Man Show, 111 Minna, San Francisco, CA. 2006.
One Man Show, Stephen Cohen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. 2005.
PHOTO LA, Stephen Cohen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. 2004.
PHOTO NY, Brown Bag Contemporary Gallery, San Francisco, CA. 2003.
PHOTO SF, Barry Singer Gallery, Petaluma, CA. 2000.
ARTIST REPRESENTATION/GALLERIES
Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
Julie Zener Gallery, San Anselmo, CA.
Paul Mahder Gallery, Healdsburg, CA.
Slate Contemporary Gallery, Oakland, CA.