Brandon Opalka
The Compromise, 2011, oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches
Biography view artist bio
Exhibitions The Compromise Nature is Imagination Itself Yonder
Brandon Opalka was born in Virginia, and moved to South Florida in his early teens. Graffiti was the first visual form that attracted him. Mark-making with spray cans defined his middle and high school years. After spending one semester at IFAC (International Fine Arts College), Opalka left to make art full-time. He worked with the collective FeCuOp (with artists Christian Curiel and Jason Ferguson). As a self-taught painter, Opalka makes art on walls and canvases. As such his exhibition history contains some walls that cannot be listed here. He has had one-man exhibitions at Rocket Projects, Ingalls & Associates and Dorsch Gallery. His work has been curated into major group exhibitions at Tomio Koyama Gallery in Tokyo, Japan; Whitebox, New York; and Bass Museum of Art, Miami, FL. He has exhibited extensively in Miami. Notable venues include Casa Lin, Open Space, Miami Beach Botanical Gardens, The House and Locust Projects. He lives and works in Miami.
Statement
Painting is a mix of cerebral meditation and a romantic desire to visualize beauty. What I find important in art are its fundamental elements such as form, color, light, composition, line, and space. They act as catalysts for many of the undulating forms and textures created in my work.
The landscapes I paint are enigmatic worlds derived from both organic and synthetic forms and textures. The images for my paintings come from sculpted forms and photographs that create semi-personal compositions. Although the process involves drawing, model making, and photography, the final product is still oil on canvas. The intricate details and shades of colors reflect my beginnings in street art and an appreciation for landscape painting in a historical context. My background as a graffiti artist influences the bold, graphic shapes in my work, while traditional landscape paintings become a blueprint for movement and light.
My goal as an artist is for the viewer to be won over by the fluidity of color and form, creating an illusion and the belief that they have seen a new, real place.
Disambiguation, 2010-2011, Wood, paint, bottles and plastic animals, 42 x 72 x 12 inches