BATHGATE: The Machinist Sculptor - Exhibition Opening & Book Signing

In Celebration of Art Week and before the start of the internationally renowned Art Basel event - join us for the opening of BATHGATE: The Machinist Sculptor.

• Meet the Artist
• Moderated Q&A
• Book Signing
• Enjoy Light Bites & Refreshments
• & More!

Visitors to the exhibition will view a selection of Bathgate’s machined metal works made as part of a formalistic and conceptual investigation of modern, computer numerically controlled machining as a creative medium. The entire body of work serves as an ongoing investigation into this concept, where each piece informs the next in a continuous cycle of ideation, problem-solving, fabrication, analysis, and revision. His aesthetic considerations are deeply intertwined with the very machines he employs, leading to a symbiotic relationship where the machinery itself evolves alongside his sculptures.

Playing with the tension between aesthetic and utility, form and function, industrial and handmade, Bathgate’s work challenges traditional categorizations. His sculptures are meticulously engineered, with every detail methodically designed from the ground up. Yet, they transcend mere technical prowess, evoking a sense of creative logic that captivates viewers. 

“Modern manufacturing has created a space where there are a great number of craftsmen practicing a way of working that no longer has a place in a modern factory. There is room now to explore these machines and techniques for what other purposes they might serve. We can now mine them for their worth as a means of personal expression.”

–CHRISTOPHER BATHGATE

About Christopher Bathgate

Chris Bathgate is a self-taught machinist and machine builder. He has spent over two decades building and modifying a variety of metalworking tools and automated machinery to create intricately machined metal sculptures that defy easy classification. Through his work, the artist has attempted to coin the term “studio machining” as an emerging field within the fine arts. His works are fundamentally engineered, every detail methodically designed from the ground up. They illustrate that creativity alone does not drive human imagination, but that inspiration comes from the need to overcome technical challenges. By combining the math and logistics of modern machine work with an emotive problem-solving ethic, the artist bends the physical constraints of his medium to an aesthetic that plays on ideas of utility and ambiguous design intent. The result is precise and other worldly art objects that exude a creative logic all their own. Chris is author of the book “The Machinist Sculptor: Industry Meets Craft,” which explores the history of Machine work and its evolving status as a fine art craft, through the lens of his pioneering sculpture practice. It serves as a contemporary reflection on the modern state of craft, and a historical corrective to the technological dogmas that emerged during the studio craft movements of the 20th century. 

Bathgate’s work has been exhibited at the Fuller Craft Museum, National Museum of Industrial History, MECM, and more. Learn more at www.chrisbathgate.com

About Phase Gallery at Moonlighter FabLab

PHASE Gallery features work that blends technology and art in new innovative mediums. Creators that work in the realms of both bits and atoms – the Digital and Physical. PHASE Gallery celebrates the process and technical craft of artists, designers, and engineers creating on the cutting edge and making an impact in their communities.

The gallery is located within Moonlighter FabLab - a 501(c)3 non-profit S.T.E.A.M. Learning Center and Fabrication Laboratory in partnership with The City of Miami Beach, Florida dedicated to empowering makers of all ages and abilities with the skills, tools, and opportunities to shape a better future. Learn more at www.moonlighterfablab.org

Programming is funded in part by The Jorge M. Perez Family Foundation CreARTE grant, and with the support of the City of Miami Beach Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council, and the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Moonlighter FabLab, 1661 Pennsylvania Avenue, Miami Beach, United States