MICHAEL SOUTER, Artist

Michael Souter’s art is a restless evolution—an exploration of contrast, scale, and emotional intensity. Born in Detroit, he earned a BFA in Art  and Design from Western Michigan University, where he built a foundation in fine art and visual communication. But it was movement—across cities, disciplines, and states of mind—that truly defined his voice.

Teaching painting and mixed media at École Internationale in Geneva deepened his practice, while San Francisco saw him push into large-scale canvases influenced by Richard Serra’s stark gravitas and Rothko’s meditative depth. But it was living in Tokyo (1983–1985) that left the most indelible mark. Immersed in contemporary Japanese aesthetics—minimalism, black and white, and the bold interplay of scale—restraint became his new form of expression. The city’s energy, discipline, and reverence for simplicity reshaped his artistic language in ways that still inform his work today.

In New York (1992–present), Souter’s artistic and professional worlds collided. Fashion and beauty design pulled him toward a more photographic,  journalistic visual language—before an abrupt pause. Yet art never truly left. A turbulent, creatively electric relationship with an influential writer reignited his passion, birthing “Narcissist Nation”—a raw, provocative series dissecting obsession, erotism, and destruction. This body of work became a one-man show at The Bronx Museum, presented across varied media, including video, painting, and etched mirrors, creating a multi-sensory experience that forced viewers into confrontation with themes of power, desire, and manipulation.

With catharsis came reinvention. Souter obliterated only the paintings from “Narcissist Nation”, transforming them into “Resku”, a rebirth echoing his Tokyo years. This led to new detours—the “Cut” and “Door” series—where erasure and revelation played in equal measure.

Now, his latest series, “Pairings,” explores silkscreen monoprints, merging painting with printmaking. Using vintage prints as a foundation,  he intervenes—blocking out history, re-editing narratives, and reshaping the past into something entirely new. His work remains an excavation of memory and meaning, where destruction and reconstruction exist in constant tension.

Michael Souter is currently represented by RE Steele Gallery in East Hampton, where his work continues to evolve—pushing the boundaries of visibility and erasure, presence and absence.