Mike Goldberg

Originally from Boston I spent more than 20 years in Manhattan and Brooklyn before moving to San Francisco.

THE SENTIMENT OF MEMORY
Exploring the relationship between portraiture and memory.

At 22 years old, I was employed as a mental health counselor in a Boston area locked psychiatric unit. Responsible for more than 85 severely mentally ill patients struggling to survive, I became moved by their personal stories. Stories that no one would ever hear and would remain buried in this state institution.

Decades later, researching what had become of these patients only to come across their obituaries.

From the short descriptions that accompanied their tiny black and white newspaper photographs I was once again moved by their stories and became inspired by an idea as a way to express these untold stories through my art.

Looking at those obituary photos what was most present in my mind were the extreme scents and sounds from that time. The cigarette smoke, the smell of urine and human decay and the music from that era combined with the fact that the faces of those patients were slowly fading from my memory.

To illustrate what I was feeling I developed an interactive installation that demonstrated my concept.

I pl...

Boston University BA Psychology
School of Visual Arts New York
Private Study-Robert Cormier Portrait artist

Art works downtown San Rafael Ca through August 5 2014
Solo Show First Person Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Solo Show, Small Stories, Elsewhere Gallery, Fairfax, CA 
Publication, Studio Visit Magazine, Volume 18.  Two paintings featured
Group Show The Spring Street Studios, New York, NY
Group Show The Copley Society, Boston, MA