collection: Bran Sólo
introducing the fourth piece in our exclusive dandy collection of art:
Las Montañas :: Bran Sólo :: dandy collection #00004 :: 2021
Bran Sólo’s art has a serenity to it that often borders on melancholy. He has mastered the ability to engage his audience in the complexities of themes like loneliness and sadness without resorting to melodrama. Instead, he presents his subjects in engaging states of quiet contemplation that exemplify a familiar sort of peaceful resignation. Any of his new work is immediately recognizable in a social media feed because his style is exceedingly unique (save a single other artist, El Dibujo, who is not-surprisingly a colleague and good friend). I am strangely comforted by the new piece he has made exclusively for us (pictured above, and available in our shop), and glad to have gotten the chance to chat with him and get to know more about what makes his art so distinctive.
Tell me about your relationship with art.
Although I make my living from art, I don't consider myself primarily an artist. I paint to never die. I paint because I need to. It is a therapy- a way to find myself, and to let myself be seen in front of others, and let them know how I feel. My aim is to be a good person before being an artist. I'm not interested in technique as much as the message, the emotion behind it. I have always been different like that. First because I was born that way, and also because I want to be different on purpose.
How do you mean?
I have always wanted to be different from people who hurt me, or hurt others. The process of understanding my masculinity, and finding that I could not meet the standard that was expected of me, made me begin to fight in my own way, about the visibility of new masculinities.
Your work has a very unique and recognizable style. How do you describe it?
My style is defined by my subconsciousness, as well as my life situation and the materials I have access to. I work in realism, as well as expressionism, caricature, and digital illustration. I think what connects all my works though is the sadness that I see in them later.
So would you say that sadness is the main theme of your work?
I use art as something personal, so the themes I deal with are the ones that most deeply affect me as a person: love, heartbreak, loneliness, fear of death, the frustration of imposed masculinity, blindness, and perspective. I suffer from a chronic retinal condition that causes me to see everything differently- duplicated but sharp- and I discovered this only a few years ago. I would say if there is a main theme, it is loneliness- a feeling that partially gives meaning to my artistic name [Bran Sólo is an alias], and that in the end is what characterizes me.
Where are you from originally?
I was born in the south of Spain, near Murcia, a city half an hour from the Mediterranean Sea. That has marked me in my character, I need sea and nature always near- calm and a bit of solitude. I need blue. I have lived in Madrid, Barcelona, Porto and every Christmas I go to Miami to exhibit at the Gaythering Hotel for ArtBasel week. In the end, I consider myself from everywhere, and I don't feel I belong to any of those places. In Spain art is not valued as much as in the rest of Europe or North America, but I always publish my work online and I reach all parts of the world. I am proud that in many different places of the planet there is, in a corner of any house, a Bran Sólo's artwork.
Your love for the sea is definitely reflected in your work. You use a lot of nautical motifs, and beautiful blues.
Pantone Blue 3005 U. I think everything should be this color. I am a lover of blue- of the infinite, formless sea that embraces you.
What artists have influenced your work?
I don't have a reference, as an example to follow, since I was educated in technology sciences. Actually, before studying art, I was a computer programmer for the regional public service. So when I started painting professionally, I didn't have- and I don't think I really wanted to have- anyone as a reference for an aesthetic base. I like the work of Egon Schiele, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Kokoschka, De Chirico. Though I am still looking for work that moves me as much as music or cinema does.
Where would you love to see your work on display?
I don't think my work will one day be in El Prado, or in the MOMA. I think my work is more personal, and I target that small percentage of the population that is on the more sensitive side. I am happy when my customers send me a photo of my works in their bathroom. I don't think there is a more spiritual moment, nor a better place. If you have a work of mine, please put it in the toilet.
It's funny you say that. I actually have a piece of art above my toilet right now that I don't like, but I see it more- and think about it more often- than any other art in the apartment. Funny how that happens.
What would you say brings you the most joy in your life?
I am a person tremendously dependent on the love of others. I don't care what, where, or how. The important thing for me will always be who I am with. And right now, I'm looking for a boyfriend. Send me your applications!
What do you do when you aren't busy making art?
I am very active. I train hard every day. I go jogging, walk for hours in the mountains or on the beach. I go out with my telescope to look for sky objects. I cook a lot- and I do that quite well. I write. I read scientific articles. I am passionate about ancient Egypt, space, dinosaurs. I run a small art collective with which I carry out projects and exhibitions. I created a queer friendly social network to fight Instagram censorship [www.xplicit.app] and I manage it by myself. I create websites and online stores for other artists and local businesses. And on Fridays I have lunch at my mother's house.
Do you have a favorite, or most memorable piece?
My final project at the art school of Murcia. I made a Tarot that was very successful, and that I continue to produce and sell online and in many stores in Spain. It is an illustrated Tarot, totally invented but based on the fundamentals of psychoanalysis, which follows an initiation story in an imaginary place based on the Serralves Park in Porto. It was a small but complex illustration project, in which I put a lot of effort, filled it with hidden messages and games, and developed from the cards with names and meanings, to the typography and packaging. When I was studying in art school I considered myself a computer scientist, and I felt excluded from the other students who came from fine arts in university careers, or artistic bachelor's degrees. I didn't know anything about art, and I ended up with the highest score from the jury on the project. I was first in my graduating year. I think that was the first big success with which I knew that this was my place.
What is next for you now?
Now I am painting freely, in the studio. I paint what I want, what I feel I must paint, at my own pace, and then I look for a buyer who will allow me to continue doing this. It's a hermit's way of living, but in the end one learns that living is not about running ahead. You can stand still and enjoy what you have, while others run.
more in the dandy uncensored gallery
Bran Sólo
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All work appears courtesy of the artist.
website :: bransolo.com
insta :: @bransolo
twitter :: @bran_solo
facebook :: BranSolo
