Michael Decker's work, Old Growth, is a site-specific sculpture that spontaneously takes its form whenever it is installed. At NEXT PROJECTS, Chicago, 2011, it consists of sixty found metal ironing boards that were designed in the 1950s and have been collected by the artist over the past year. The ironing boards, while purely utilitarian in origin, conjure up references to California's artistic and cultural heritage. They can be seen as painted panels, minimalist monoliths or surfboards.

The installation at NEXT is the third time that Old Growth has been presented. It was first created for inclusion at Steve Turner Contemporary in November, 2010 when it consisted of forty-two boards and was presented in a small room of its own. It spiraled upward like a pine cone with the boards entwined tightly in various states of expansion. Its second presentation was in the lobby of 7 West 34th Street, New York, as the lobby installation at VOLTA NY 2011. In that presentation, Old Growth's form was determined by the specific constraints of its site-a busy office building skyscraper. For NEXT PROJECTS, Old Growth expanded to consist of sixty boards with the boards placed vertically in long hallway with the legs expanded to varying lengths. In this way, the boards take on a figurative quality, almost as though they are in conversation.

Decker is a sculptor and installation artist who works primarily with found everyday materials. Previous works were comprised of Beanie Babies, pine cones, pillows, blankets and animal bones. He chooses materials that are accessible, adjustable and portable, enabling him to configure his sculptures under a broad range of circumstances. Born in Spokane in 1982, Decker received a BFA from the California Institute of the Arts (2005). He has had solo exhibitions at Steve Turner Contemporary, Los Angeles (2010); Dan Graham Gallery, Los Angeles (2010) and Circus Gallery, Los Angeles (2009). He lives and works in Los Angeles.

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