When I was born in a small clinic above a hair salon in the Caribbean, my name was Jokaris. A few days later it was changed to Briam, and then my mother, who even then lived in a paralyzing fear of the unconventional, eventually changed it to Bryan a few days after that. Since then, I have measured my years by the names I call myself.
At the twilight of twenty, Loki was born: a direct reaction to the stagnancy of my own personal and artistic development. I would become my own antithesis in order to explore the nature of being mulato in a black and white world, which a large part of my art (and research) discusses. I work mostly with paints, but I've been experimenting with video, photography, and computer art for the last half of my time in college. I'm currently working on a series of paintings which combine my passion for traditional art and graphic design, new world flavor with old world soul. I also have a sick obsession with wordplay, the innumerable shades of grey, and freeform lettering. I like to string ugly words together to write pretty prose.
In terms of professional goals, I know the end result will be a well-paying job as a creative director. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to get there, but I put faith in the journey. After grad school in the next two years, I hope I will have developed myself more as a designer. There's always room to learn. I think the process of getting to where I want to be is more important than arriving.
Societal conditions affect art and culture in a way most people can only explain in retrospect. Interestingly, the influence goes both ways as visual expression also influences the status quo. I think the seductive thing about being an artist is harnessing the ability to influence someone. What greater art than molding the human mind?
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