Growing up with a deep fascination for sci-fi, robots, and
otherworldly oddities creates an attraction to the artist Brian Despain that,
for me, is a direct connection to my childhood loves. When I see his work and
it not only reminds me of my youth, sitting in my room listening Stars Wars on vinyl
on my toy record player, but it also plays into current ideas of activism as an
adult.
The first time I was introduced to Despain, was the Baby
Tattooville Exhibition at the Riverside Art Museum. I immediately fell in love with Brian’s
connection to portraying this surreal contextualization of a world that has
been ravaged by humans and in which the machines and nature both join forces. The
style is also reminiscent of the Romantic era, showing us visions of trepidation
along with a narrative that is suggestive towards where progress has led us.
This imagery is comparative to a scene in a Vonnegut story. The illusion of a future that has not happened, completely fictional, but yet there is truth in it. The fish are dying, the birds are not singing, the robots
have developed an emotional connection to nature and much like in Vonnegut's "EPICAC", the machines
have another plan—one that diverts from their intended use. The irony being, humans,
who not only created the mess, but created the robots as well, are the ones
being taught the lesson. And together, the animal’s, lead by the robots, are
rebelling against our way of life.
all images (c) Brian Despain @ www.despainart.com
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| Mr. Bubbles (oil on canvas) |
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| Rise of the red star (oil on canvas) |
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| The exchange (oil on canvas) |
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| Icarus fish (oil on canvas) |
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| The Escape (oil on canvas) |
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| Water gods (oil on canvas) |
