New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
March 2010
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
A BONNET (When wars Start)
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
BUT I LOVE
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
WOMAN (PINK)
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
COFFEE MAKES YOU
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
HAIR DID
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
TANGELED
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
SPONSORED BY KOOL AID
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
JUNK (WONDER WOMAN)
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
THE OUTSIDE CROWD LOOKING IN
New WORKS BY HEBRU BRANTLEY
IN TO OBSCURITY 2
HEBRU BRANTLEY jhbrantley@gmail.com www.hebrubrantley.com www.frolab.com artist statement My style derives from graffiti worn buildings and telephone poles decorated with hanging sneakers that honor memories of local legends. To Saturday morning cartoons and comic books celebrating the triumphs of mythological heroes. I was sent here to tell stories. Traditionally my medium may have been words or incantation. In the now I have my brushes, aerosol cans and whatever else I can use to visually relay the many images and messages that are sent to me. My work is a peak into my mind and I deal in codified synapses and coagulated liquid pigments I was born with my eyes open so I’ve seen a lot. I have watched the co-modification and debasement of ancient precepts. Magic and incantation have been replaced by the commercialization of the sacred. I am a master visual technician with innumerable stories to tell. Let me know when you’re ready to see one. artist biography Being exposed to a variety of Cinema from Black exploitation to Science Fiction, it was clear to Hebru Brantley that he wanted to express himself visually. With art collectors as parents he was exposed to works of such wide range of masters such as Romare Bearden, Keith Haring, Basquiat and Black Folk art. Toppled with an affinity for mythogical comic heroes and Japanese anime Hebru style began infusing those two worlds. While attending Film school in Atlanta he began working in design and illustration for media production and clothing companies. A former graffiti artist Hebru transitioned from wall to canvas and started making a name for himself in the Atlanta contemporary art scene. His paintings depict beings that are triumphantly defiant with raw emotion that at times draw from youthful expression. They capture the universal essence of the human condition through an energetic portrayal of urban characters. The work comes about spontaneously, utilizing a vast aerie of mediums such as woods, found objects, spray paint, coffee and tea. He constructs multi-layered, textured environments easily likened to the complexities of contemporary urban life. He feels it’s his job to tell the story’s of his peer’s and the times which they occupy. The self taught illustrator/painter is hard at play to establish his place in the modern art movement as a master of fine art and product design. As well as create an artist movement with his contemporaries unlike anyone in Chicago has ever seen.
HEBRU BRANTLEY jhbrantley@gmail.com www.hebrubrantley.com www.frolab.com Education Clark-Atlanta University 1998- 2002 Exhibition 2010 Lions Disguised as Lambs - Punctuation Seattle,WA National Wet Paint - Group Show, Zhou Brothers Gallery Chicago, IL Whup Yo Kids - Silver Room Chicago, IL 2009 Instant Art History - Group Show, Lyons Wier Gallery New York, NY Fade Resistant - Three Peas Gallery Chicago, IL 2008 A Place To Lay My Head - Artistic Genius Chicago, IL
Phase - University of Chicago/ Little Black Pearl Workshop Chicago, IL
4 Ward Mural Exhibition (Lead Muralist), QCDC Chicago, IL
Art, Beats, and Lyrics - Group Show Atlanta/ NC/ Mississippi/ VA/ Philadelphia
Back Talk - Grid Gallery Chicago IL
Beyond the Imagination - Group Show, 4Art Inc. Chicago IL
Young Bloods - Group Show, 32nd & Urban Chicago IL
2007 Next Black Masters - Hennessey Collection New York, NY
Nevermore - Leaders 1354 Chicago IL
Group Show - La Luz de Jesus Los Angeles CA
2006 Revisited - Group Show, Pod Majersky Gallery Chicago IL
Gravity is too Expensive - Group Show Chicago IL
Water Babies - Listenbee Collection Chicago IL
2005 Scion Group Show - D’jango’s Atlanta GA
HEBRU BRANTLEY jhbrantley@gmail.com www.hebrubrantley.com
www.frolab.com