Brian Adam Douglas
Brian Adam Douglas is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist whose practices include monumental woodcuts, stencils, large scale drawings and collage. Douglas executes street art under the name "Elbow-Toe". His improvisational roots developed working in the streets have carried over into his gallery work.
Brian Adam Douglas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brian Adam Douglas 1972 Garland, Texas |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | School of Visual Arts |
Early life and education
Douglas was born in Garland, Texas and was raised in Plano, Texas. At eighteen he moved to New York City to attend the School of Visual Arts where he graduated in 1994.
Career
Street art
Douglas’ work first came to the public's attention through his street art—wheat-pasted collages and chalk drawings made under the name Elbow-Toe. The moniker came about after a night of drinking and talking about other street artists and a quick sketch of an elbow with a toe on the subway ride home. As his street art evolved from simple character designs to more complex collages and linocuts, Douglas began to draw the attention of the gallery world, and group shows in London, Los Angeles and New York soon followed.[1]
Cut Paper Paintings
Beginning in 2007, Douglas began exhibiting works made entirely out of paper. He refers to his process as paper paintings rather than as collage. "I see each piece of paper as a brushstroke rather than as a juxtaposed idea."[2] The cut paper paintings developed out of a desire to produce work for the street that would be easier to produce, but over time the process became much more labor-intensive,[3] with most pieces taking between three and six months to produce.
Interactive Art
Beginning in 2015, Douglas began programming interactive artworks in Javascript and HTML5, and he began releasing them in 2016 on the website http://www.ENDGAMESinteractive.com. The premier release was Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Subsequent interactives released through Endgames will concentrate on the psychological distresses that leave many of us feeling isolated. “I want my players to leave the artworks stressed and feeling like they can’t win so they keep trying, even though they are designed by their very nature to lose,” he said.[4]
Exhibitions
- 2007: O’ Wise King How Long Will You Last, Leonard Street Gallery, London, UK
- 2011: Due Date, Black Rat Projects, London, UK; Warrington Museum, Warrington, UK
- 2013: How To Disappear Completely, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
- 2014: Liner Notes, R Jampol Projects, New York, NY
Bibliography
Douglas, Brian Adam (2011). Paper Cuts (1 ed.). Drago. p. 86. ISBN 978-88-88493-77-0. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-10-15.
References
- "Portfolio", Visual Arts Journal Spring 2014, School of Visual Arts, p.22
- Paper Cuts, First Edition, Drago, 2011, p. 43
- Juxtapoz interview with Brian Adam Douglas', Juxtapoz # 125, 2011, p. 116
- Escape Your Home in a Game About the Anxieties of OCD, Hyperallergic, 2016
Further reading
- April 25, 2016, "Escape Your Home in a Game About the Anxieties of OCD" Hyperallergic
- December 9, 2015, "The Best in Art of 2015’." New York Times
- August 6, 2015, "What to Do This Weekend’." New York Times
- July 14, 2015, "Two Chelsea Galleries Go Wall Out for Summer" Hyperallergic
- July 9, 2015, "Review:'Anthems for the Mother Earth Goddess’." New York Times
- December 19, 2014, "Crossing Brooklyn, Without Leaving the Safe Parts" Hyperallergic
- October 25, 2013, "Visions of the World in Pieces" Hyperallergic
- September 26, 2013, "Brian Adam Douglas: ‘How to Disappear Completely’." New York Times