Ed Fraga, Mike, 1983
December 8, 2024
Ed Fraga (b. 1956), a multi-talented multimedia artist, has been based in Detroit since his matriculation at Wayne State University in the 1970s (he’s formally recognized as a distinguished alumnus from the Fine Arts program, having received an Ovation Award from the university in 2007). His work, though it cannot be narrowly defined by material, tradition, or message, has extensively explored “spiritual and psychological terrain[s],”[1] often employing religious symbolism[2] alongside themes of memory and innocence. Local commentator Steve Panton has described Fraga’s relationship to the public as “closer to the artist as magician, encouraging the viewer to suspend disbelief, and see more mystery in the world.”[3]
This portrait, Mike from 1983, seems a departure from such surrealist and symbol-laden works more typical of his oeuvre. Yet, while he is rendered relatively realistically, an aura of mystery surrounds the centralized, mustachioed sitter (presumably Mike) who stares vacantly at the viewer. Mike’s facial expression betrays little conventional emotion as he sits slouched in a white button up with short sleeves in a room with hardwood floors. An opposing wall with windows is revealed by the play of shadows on the ground behind him, and there is also a dark, wrinkled drapery that obscures part of the background space. Fraga’s engagement with light and shadow yields a captivating depth, texture, and dimension; there is a remarkable drama to each fold of fabric and skin.
Mike induces some discomfort in this viewer. Mike’s seemingly indifferent stare throws the viewer’s self-perception into question; if Mike is regarding the viewer objectively, what does he see? If Mike’s facial expression indicates ennui or a mild melancholia, what does that mean? If Mike’s facial expression is neither supportive nor critical, neither good nor bad, then it contrasts sharply with the dualistic division of the painting in two: Note the centerline formed by the left edge of the curtain and Mike’s face and shirt. The two sides of this boundary are quite symmetrical on Mike, but nearly opposites in the background. Is Mike somehow beyond the duality that our everyday world emphasizes?
Fraga has described himself as “a non-linear artist, in that, my art doesn’t always look like it is by the same artist. I try new things in ways that confuse even myself.”[4] His diverse body of work reflects this approach. Fraga has shown widely—in solo and in group exhibitions nationally and internationally—and he has received numerous accolades over the course of his 40+ year career, including fellowships from the Kresge and the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundations, a residency in Bellagio, Italy from the Rockefeller Foundation, and a Midwest National Endowment for the Arts. He remains a pillar in the Detroit arts community, most recently featured as a part of the Cranbrook Art Museum’s show: How We Make the Planet Move: The Detroit Collection Part I, on view through March 2, 2025.[5]
Written by Sarah Teppen