Morgan MacLean is a sculptor. His work explores the intersection and tension of the contemporary and the ancient. It captures, in wood, the moment of the object’s destruction and contains both the contradictory concepts of art and its implied significance, with the imperatives of time and a cultural ethos of disposability. He chisels wood by hand without the use of power tools, drawing inspiration from his urban environment. His sculptures have a quality of craftsmanship rooted in history yet are compellingly modern and mysterious. By carving a sculpture of a contemporary artifact by hand, he captures a historical moment--even if it is in the present time. It is a juxtaposition of these contradictions--the moment treated as permanent and the contemporary created through an ancient medium--that he challenges people’s assumptions about the meaning of objects and how that meaning varies in different settings and time periods. He states that the works are like characters in a story with a past and personality that he is trying to liberate and reveal. In creating his work, he hopes to trigger a curiosity and awareness about our everyday world.

MacLean’s work has been exhibited throughout California and New York. He was born in Watertown, New York, and he lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

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