Works in Process with Painter Brandon Aguiar - Inside Art with Michael Rose

Works in Process with Painter Brandon Aguiar - Inside Art with Michael Rose

 

Artists are always creating new pieces and Providence painter Brandon Aguiar is currently in the process of creating a fresh body of work. From his productive studio space, he is making artworks that explore art history and pop culture with a sense of humor and creativity. One of a younger generation of painters with a passion for novel forms of representation, Aguiar also experiments with abstraction and split picture planes. To make his work, he uses methods from traditional applications of acrylics and oils, to other techniques like masking and airbrushing.

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Aguiar was raised in Swansea, Massachusetts and earned his BFA from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. After stints in Portland and New York, Aguiar and his wife decided to return to Providence to set down roots for their young family. The artist now has a bright home studio that could just as easily double as a white cube gallery space for his paintings. An energetic artist, he has exhibited his pieces far afield, participating in shows everywhere from London and Montreal, to Richmond, Virginia and Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is represented by MRKT Gallery in San Francisco.

 

 

Recently celebrating a year of living and working in Providence, Aguiar reflects on being in his new home and studio by saying, “It’s been amazing having a home studio that feels private. I have a toddler so not having to waste time commuting means I can actually get to the studio. Not to mention the fact that I get to work in the city but not have the extra burden of rent. So it’s something I’m very grateful to have.”

 

In his studio, Aguiar crafts his latest paintings in multiple steps. First, he constructs Photoshop collages on his iPad. These often draw imagery from the canon of art as well as from contemporary media. In one image, he combines disparate elements like a poster for the film “Animal House” with a guitarist plucked from an Old Master. Using this collage as a reference point, he creates large-scale paintings. He does not hold to his reference entirely but uses it as a jumping-off point to stitch together an original work of art that combines all kinds of sources. The work is that of a researcher.

 

 

In many of the works that Aguiar has made or is making, nostalgia appears. In one finished work, he rifs on a Norman Rockwell but substitutes the original subject with a kid trying to avoid adult responsibilities. The scene is drawn from his own adolescence, complete with materials that resonate with him like skate culture and comic books. Semi-autobiographical, the scene also has a broader relevance for individuals who are Aguiar’s age.

 

Asked about the role of memory and nostalgia in his work, Aguiar says, “It’s definitely something that’s been creeping in more and more. We are all very nostalgic for the 90s and 00s right now, and I think that makes a lot of sense. It’s a way to connect with a time or place we felt free or safe.”

 

 

Aguiar is a Millennial artist and the concerns of people of his generation show up in his work. There are storylines that deal with notions of maturity and explore individuals who are in the midst of coming of age. Angst and humor are often bedfellows in the pieces that are in progress in his studio.

 

In addition to being a researcher and compiler, Aguiar is also formally adventurous. In an earlier body of work, which the artist refers to as his “split paintings”, he divides his canvas down the middle and creates two complimentary images that intertwine in theme or idea. In one canvas, the left side is dominated by an equestrian scene that suggests both art history and the American West. On the right of the painting, an abstraction reminiscent of a quilt takes up space, recalling a great and original American artform. There is both an aesthetic tension and harmony in these images, qualities that serve their underlying subjects.

 

 

Reflecting on what he aspires for viewers to see in his work, the artist says, “I hope they find something to connect with. Something that resonates with them in a personal way. My work is autobiographical but through a phonological lens. Which is to say I’m not pulling directly from my life. But rather finding storylines that are both personal yet open-ended enough to be universally understood.”

 

Brandon Aguiar is a young artist who has chosen to create in Providence. An innovative practitioner, this painter should be celebrated and supported by his community. It will be exciting to watch how his work comes together.

 

 

Learn more about Brandon Aguiar at his website www.brandonaguiarstudio.net, or follow his practice on Instagram at @mrbastudio.