Whomst

My name is Mike Tunkey.

I was in the last generation of architecture students before computers. Design technology hadn’t changed since the Bauhaus. We learned to think with simple, tactile tools. I draw with a t-square and compass. An idea can start with a quick physical model, a loop of paper stretched on pegs. 

But, my paintings also address the virtual spaces of digital design platforms. A parametric object with clear generative logic but no fixed form. Ghosted mobius strips that turn inside out and circle back. They exist simultaneously in multiple viewports: plan, axon and perspective. At some point they cross-over from design to painting. When that happens, I stop.

Brief CV:

Mike Tunkey, AIA is an architect, artist and educator. His paintings employ traditional architectural drafting techniques to explore the virtual spaces of digital design platforms. 

In his three decades in architecture, he has worked for three leading global design firms with projects in over a dozen countries. His buildings have featured significant collaborations with artists such as Ai Weiwei, Maya Hayuk and Josef Kristofoletti. His work has won numerous awards and has been showcased in many leading design publications. 

Mike has a Bachelor in Architecture from SUNY Buffalo, and a Master in Architecture from Harvard GSD. He is an adjunct design faculty at SUNY Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, and has previously taught at Lund University in Sweden and Hong Kong University in Shanghai. He is active in the arts community, and has served on the Board at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center and on the Public Art Committee at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.