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Works by Kyle Bravo
BIO and RESUME ARTIST STATEMENT
Face Off
CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO OF THE PIECE BY TIMES PICAYUNE ART CRITIC, DOUG MACCASH
In many ways it's the process of printing that captivates me just as much, if not more, than the final result. If the making itself wasn't engaging I probably wouldn't continue to print. In this piece I wanted to bring to the forefront the how of printmaking - to demystify and to lay bare the process for viewers to see and understand with the hopes that they might eventually act upon that understanding to make work of their own. Jenny has, for some time, been making work that speaks about the action of printing - the repetitive dance we do when we ink, pull, print, ink, pull, print... Jenny's history of combining performance with printmaking and my interest in the the display of the process came together in this collaborative piece. We were each at an end of a table, myself with a screen of my face and Jenny with a linoleum cut of her face mounted to a roller device she built. We each started with 1000 sheets of paper and over the course of 3 hours printed as many self-portraits as we could. Face Off by Kyle Bravo and Jenny LeBlanc, 2007, NFS.
Obituary Conglomerations
These portraits are sampled from the obituary section of the Times Picayune, the local New Orleans newspaper. I layer faces and facial features from numerous individuals to create what I see as a collective portrait of the dead of New Orleans post-Katrina. The effects of Katrina are still ever-present in so many ways in this broken city of ours, and the mounting deathtoll is ever-growing - not only deaths directly related to the storm, but also the deaths brought about by the injustices so deeply rooted in this city that were only exacerbated by the bungled aftermath of the disaster. Post-traumatic stress, depression, and spiritual and emotional brokenness plague us, and will continue to do so for years to come. Obituary Conglomerations by Kyle Bravo, 2007, 22" x 30" each, Screenprint on Stonehenge, $100 each.
WWW...
Taken from media images of the state of the union address. WWW... by Kyle Bravo, 2007, 3 prints 22" x 30" each, screenprint on Stonehenge, $650 for entire set.
House Conglomerations
These prints are based on photos I took of houses in the lower 9th Ward that were wrecked by the flooding from the levee break after Hurricane Katrina. I took architectural elements from various houses, collaged them together, then made them into these 6 - 8 color silkscreens. This work was made possible by The James Irvine Foundation, The Alliance of Artist Communities, and The Kala Art Institute. House Conglomerations by Kyle Bravo, 2006, 8 prints 22" x 22" each, screenprint on Rives BFK, $250 each or $1500 for entire set.
A.R.M. (Art, Ready-to-Make)
This piece was created in collaboration with my wife, sculptor Jenny LeBlanc, in direct response to our situation as New Orleans artists affected by Hurricane Katrina. These “A.R.M.” kits are based on the M.R.E. (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) packs handed out by the National Guard to hurricane victims in the wake of Katrina. These were made as an installation in conjunction with a performance where Jenny and I dressed as relief workers/national guardsmen, entered the gallery, and handed A.R.M.s to viewers. The viewers then opened the kits and followed the instructions inside to fill the gallery with artwork and packaging debris reminiscent of New Orleans pre- and post-Katrina. A short slide show about this piece was featured on CNN.com and can be viewed by clicking the link below. A.R.M. (Art, Ready-to-Make) by Jenny LeBlanc and Kyle Bravo, 2005, mixed media, NFS
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/us/0604/art.after.katrina/frameset.exclude.html.
"Fuck You" Stickers
I made these dainty little stickers in response to some similarly styled "Thank You" stickers I had seen. These are intended to be a tongue-in-cheek twist on such sappy commercial sentimentality. This work was made possible by The James Irvine Foundation, The Alliance of Artist Communities, and The Kala Art Institute. "Fuck You" Stickers by Kyle Bravo, 2006, each sticker 1.25" diameter, silkscreen on colored stickers, $4 per sheet of 4 stickers.
Birds, Flying
CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO OF THE PIECE
Birds, Flying consists of approximately 500 mass-produced lenticular cards, each of which features an image of a bird in flight. Depending on what angle the card is viewed from, the viewer will see a different part of the image. Within each card are 6 separate images of the phases of the motion of a bird in flight. As the viewer moves from left to right or right to left in relation to the card, the bird animates, springing to life, appearing to flap its wings. Without the viewer's movement, the birds cease to move. Birds, Flying by Kyle Bravo, 96" x 144," 2004, lenticular prints on wall, $10 each or $3000 for entire set.
Maze (Please Feel Free)
Maze (Please Feel Free) is drawn directly onto the wall with pencil. A grid is drawn onto the wall then smudged to create a vast field of gray. I then work into the gray with the eraser of a pencil, forging paths through the smudged graphite. The end result is a series of interconnected paths that form a maze. Also, a pencil is hung from the wall by a piece of string, dangling daringly in front of the maze, and a pencil sharpener is mounted to the wall to the side of the maze. Maze (Please Feel Free) by Kyle Bravo, 2004, 60" x 42," graphite on wall, pencil, sharpener, custom mazes may be installed in any space for $50 per square foot.
Me, Dead
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Me, Dead is a "thaumatrope," a device invented in the early 19th century. One side features a self-portrait, the other a skull. To work the thaumatrope you wind it up then release it allowing it to spin freely, superimposing each image on top of the other creating the sensation of seeing both the inner and outer self simultaneously. Me, Dead by Kyle Bravo, 2003, 7" diameter, silkscreen on paper, rubber bands, $10.
Scratch
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Scratch is a flipbook made up of a series of images of me scratching my face which is covered by mysterious red dots (zits? measles? a rash? disease?). This piece was derived from an earlier experiment I had done where I videotaped myself sitting, staring blankly forward for the duration of one hour. Upon viewing this seemingly boring and mundane footage I began to notice the smallest actions – blinking, scratching, licking my lips. These actions became almost monumental, despite their simplicity, when viewed in such a context. Scratch (Flipbook) by Kyle Bravo, 2003, 2" x 3.5," 50 pages, photocopy and silkscreen on paper, Sold Out.
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View work by Jenny LeBlanc.