Michael DeSutter’s work explores familial relationships and themes related to the nature of work. Inspired by his late grandfather’s collection of vintage Fortune magazines from the 1960’s post WWII “Golden Age”, Michael set out on a four-week immersive project in which every day he would show up to his studio (work) wearing a suit and tie, carrying out the repetitive and isolating routines of a 60’s era 9–5 job as he set out creating art inspired by this theme. 

Over the four-week period plus six months during the pandemic, Michael assembled eight bodies of work including a 56 page hand-drawn chart pieced together by his grandfather William Overpeck and a collaborative sculpture made by the artist and his father. These collages played off the visual of the bar-graph, serving both as a symbol of corporate power but also a nod to his own desire to chart his own personal growth.  

Throughout the process, New Collection worked closely with Michael, supporting his inquiry, but also documenting his performative workflow. This was ultimately turned into a short film, memorializing not just the artifacts that emerged from his exploration, but the journey too, as a work of art in its own right.