Mike Chavez, also known as MIGS, was born in the Philippines and studied at the Queensland College of Art from 1988 to 1990. For some time he was an animator, working on productions for Disney, Warner Brothers and Dreamworks. Now Melbourne-based, he describes himself as an 'independent artist working for his own damn self.' First exhibiting solo in 2004, he has produced series of paintings based on the Australian ute, anthropomorphic animals, transsexual prostitutes and the family. With series titles including terror australis, roots in beaut utes, paintings my mother wouldn't hang and a fistful of pesos, his works explore themes of racism, the 'complexities of the human condition' and 'life's daily travails'. He was a finalist in the Fleurieu Art Prize in 2008 and the Archibald Prize in 2009 (with this portrait).
