Michael Workman

Arriving in the United States in November 1983 from Laos in the highlands of Southeast Asia, where he was born in a refugee camp, Von Kommanivanh moved with his family and five brothers to a new home in the River Park neighborhood. His father was an Air Force mechanic who once taught English in the Philippines.

Helping his son out with his homework one day, he made a few drawings to illustrate a point. "He drew some soldiers for me," recalls Von, whose fascination with drawing started that day. In the sixth grade, he won a scholarship for an art workshop for high-school students taught by an Art Institute professor that he had to steal money from his mother's purse to attend. "I needed train fare and mom didn't like me doing art, so she wouldn't give it to me," says Kommanivanh. "My parents both work in factories and they don't understand art."

As graffiti started to get popular in the early nineties, Von and a group of friends took to the streets, seeing art as their way out of an uncertain future. "The kids in my community, we all encouraged each other to do better. Our influence was art and that's how we made it through." Not long after, Kommanivanh scraped together enough money to assemble a portfolio of his work that he could shop around at local galleries. He showed his paintings and drawings to Julie Walsh at Walsh Gallery and she scooped him up. These days he makes ends meet by selling art and through High Rise Delivery, a food delivery service he co-owns that services the Lakeview and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. His fortunes are even further on the rise, with planned shows next year in galleries in Islamabad and Lahore, Pakistan.

And what does his mother make of his relative success now? "I never really followed in the footsteps she planted for me," he says. "She looks at me as a bad person for doing this, I've just had to distance myself from my family. There's no way I can explain it to them. This is art."

(2004-10-20)

Also by Michael Workman

Tip of the Week
This is the first time an outside group has been allowed to use the Vietnam Veteran's Museum space, since its founding in 1996, for anything but works of soldiers in that tragic war
(2004-10-13)

Huong Ngo
Born in a refugee camp in Hong Kong, Ngo's parents, originally from Vietnam, fled to North Carolina
(2004-10-13)

Eye Exam
Upon first viewing Gaylen Gerber's installation and painting exhibition at Donald Young Gallery, patrons may notice similarities in the work with Kay Rosen, Michelle Grabner and Joe Baldwin
(2004-10-13)

Big brothers
Carrying brushes four feet in length that at first glance could be mistaken for spears or clubs, two shirtless Chinese men with long, flowing black manes of hair...
(2004-10-06)

The Barack and Alan Show
(2004-10-06)

Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle
(2004-10-06)

Eye Exam
(2004-10-06)

Tip of the Week
(2004-09-29)

Eye Exam
(2004-09-29)

Chicago--yes, Chicago--Fashion Week
(2004-09-14)

Eye Exam
(2004-09-14)

Eye Exam
(2004-09-08)

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