Saatchi Online Magazine Critic's Choice
by Charlotte Bonham-Carter

Michael Goodward's sleek and sexy sculptures and installations hinge on a subtle twist of expectations or a surprising use of materials. In describing his work, the artist writes, "I have a profound desire to communicate intricate ideas in a concise and reduced manner using a variety of easily available domestic and industrial materials." Reminiscent of the kind of post-conceptual alchemy performed by Tom Friedman, Goodward transforms mundane materials into poetic, humorous and sometimes ironic amalgamations.
"Something or Other", for example, is a hairbrush in which the bristles have been replaced with hair, thus turning the very annoying phenomenon of hair getting caught in the hairbrush into a beautiful, albeit useless, aesthetic object. Text also plays an important role in Goodward's work, and Goodward's command of brevity is as witty as his juxtaposition of materials. Drawing on elements of design and architecture, Goodward places great emphasis on both the typeface of his texts, and the materials of his constructions.

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