Michael Graham’s Multicolored Textile Provokes Wonder Inside His Brooklyn Home

By Erika Veurink

Photography by Sean Pressley

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What makes a purchase "worth it"? The answer is different for everybody, so we’re asking some of the coolest, most shopping-savvy people we know—from small-business owners to designers, artists, and actors—to tell us the story behind one of their most prized possessions.

"All of the artwork in my home needs to be an authentic representation of some part of my lifestyle and who I am," Michael says.

A storyteller, first and foremost, Michael Graham's artistic abilities extend to designing clothing, running the Bed Stuy–based boutique and clothing label Savant Studios, and curating cultural events. The common threads throughout his work are "stories of humanity and connectivity." Decorating his Brooklyn space is no different than creating art: "I like to be surrounded by story, feeling, and authenticity." So, every piece that comes into Michael's home has to resonate with his taste and have a story or history attached to its origin.

Soulful, fun, and tasteful are the three words that the multihyphenate creative uses to describe his home's aesthetic. Upon entering the space, Michael hopes guests will feel "welcomed, and then after that, curious and intrigued." His multicolored textile, which hangs prominently against a plain white wall in his apartment, encapsulated this hope. Discovered on a trip upstate to the Hudson Valley, the piece was created by a group of artists from the Tuareg tribe. Tucked among the region's renowned vintage shops, Michael came across the textile in an African shop full of colorful artifacts. "I knew it was a place for me," he recalls.

As is often the case, the discovery was only half the fun. Finding the right place for the textile in his space took just as much work. "I had no idea where it would go," Michael says. "I was just excited that I found such a large piece because of how high my ceilings are and how much wall space I have." The textile sat folded in the artist's home studio for about eight months before he landed on its ideal display. "It had to be the right spot," he adds.

Described as "not the first, but by far the biggest," this hung textile is part of a wonderful world that Michael Graham is no stranger to embracing. His advice for new collectors? "Just know that you will have to commit, as textile art isn't the norm," he says. "You have to trust your gut and take your time with it so that you feel solid with your choices." As a storyteller, the joy of displaying art pieces woven with narrative means everything to him. Michael's personal rule of thumb for knowing what makes the cut in his sacred space is this: "Does it provoke wonder?" The rest he leaves up to chance encounters and serendipitous timing.