BIO view CV Born in 1980, Michael Binzer studied ballet and contemporary dance at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School graduating with distinction in 1997, and continued to dance for the company until 2001. After leaving the performing arts, Mike turned his attention to the visual arts, receiving his BFA with distinction in painting from the Alberta College of Art & Design (ACAD) in 2006. His keen interest in, and unique insight on, the human body has continued to be the focus of his painting practice and research. In the Fall of 2011, Mike successfully defended his MFA from the University of Regina, where his research was focused on painting the human body as it is experienced, rather than merely visually perceived. He has been honored with numerous awards, including the Painting Major Award of Excellence from ACAD (2006), and more recently the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) (2010). Mike has participated in a variety of solo and group exhibitions, and has also had the opportunity to teach painting and drawing, most recently encaustic painting at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Center in Regina, SK. Mike currently lives and works in Victoria, BC.