Michael Rice is a self–taught visual artist based in Hartford, CT. Rooted in 80s counterculture, yet influenced by today’s digital landscape, Rice’s style blends realism, dreamlike illustration and abstraction to traverse genres and evoke a unique aesthetic that glides from nostalgic to contemporary.

Rice’s work, at once both arresting and inviting, is a direct reflection of our current times – an age in which the lines between our digital and physical worlds continue to blur. Often engaging with the viewer in a seemingly relentless fashion, Rice draws parallels to society’s dichotomous transformation while offering perspective on the emergence of a new paradigm – one filled with limitless potential, but also new challenges.

As this convergence continues to unfold, Rice believes we must look beyond the conveniences and consider important questions that arise as a result: How will we adapt in order to discern fact from fiction, real from fake? What separates natural from manufactured, organic from forced? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be human in today’s fast-paced, high-tech world?