M ikel is a member of the post-avant-garde film Collective Obscuritads. He and fellow filmmaker Scott Barley have been described by critics and curators as “enfants terribles,” with screenings and retrospectives in art galleries and museums worldwide for the past 16 years. As a curator, he presented Takashi Makino’s work for the first time in Toronto. Mentored by American avant-garde film artist Phil Solomon — who passed away in 2019 — the collective screened alongside Solomon several times, and will now honour him with a travelling exhibition opening with a two-day retrospective at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid in 2027.
Mikel’s films extend the tradition of contemplative, independent black-and-white cinema, characterized by existential concerns and a distinct poetic sensibility. His work explores the shadowed and often translucent terrain of solitude, focusing on solitary male figures as they confront existential anguish, alienation, and the apparent failures of human existence. These explorations are further articulated through the use of atonal music, which contributes to the psychological and philosophical dimensions of his cinematic language.
Bringing a provocative philosophical perspective to his practice, Mikel will discuss his artistic trajectory and his involvement with the Remodernist film movement. The presentation will include selected excerpts from his films and a screening of one short work, followed by an open conversation addressing the conceptual foundations of his practice, its historical development, and his current and forthcoming projects.
