ARTIST: Michel Garlington

Life is art. Art is my daily life. The human element in the portraiture, animals, flowers, insects, and leaves, conveys that we all belong here and there is room held for everyone in all versions and reiterations of their expression.

Michael Garlington is a photographer, sculptor, and master printer whose work merges traditional black-and-white portraiture with immersive, intricately crafted sculptural installations. The son of a journalist and a photographer, he was raised in Petaluma, California, surrounded by a unique mix of artists, metalworkers, farmers, and free spirits that deeply shaped his creative voice. At 17, he began working at Spindler Photographic, his family’s San Francisco photo lab, where he mastered film development and printing techniques while absorbing the work of top Bay Area photographers—a formative experience that launched his lifelong artistic journey.

Garlington is best known for his “photo-sculptures,” dramatic installations that blend imagery and structure into surreal environments. His work has been exhibited in PhotoNY, PhotoLA, and international galleries, and his large-scale projects for Burning Man—EGO, PhotoChapel, and Totem of Confessions—have earned widespread acclaim. Since 2013, he has collaborated with artist Natalia Bertotti to create emotionally resonant, detail-rich installations, including permanent works and museum pieces such as The Chapel of Babel. Together, their art continues to evolve as a fusion of narrative, craftsmanship, and photography made physical.