Brian Bress's 2014 Video-Pictures Blend Animation and Painting in Surreal Displays

Brian Bress produces video-pictures that blend static visuals with dynamic movement, showcasing animated figures resembling harlequins, chimeras, and pillowmen. All created in 2014, these pieces are presented on flatscreen TVs, elegantly framed and mounted on white walls, devoid of visible wires or players. In the artwork Pendulum, Bress incorporates glossy wood paneling that evokes vintage countertops, featuring a cut-out triangle that frames a stationary grey humanoid figure with a kaleidoscopic geode head, perpetually swinging in a suspended chair. Another piece, Four Acts, depicts a soft pillowman cutting holes that correspond with the covering panel, while Doctor / Patient #1 (set against tan and violet lines) illustrates two playdough-faced men sketching Picasso-like images on the glass screen. Bress's work transitions from the whimsical logic of Saturday-morning cartoons to a surreal, often unsettling adult perspective, exploring dreamlike landscapes with a haunting, slow pace. By utilizing masks and deception, he reflects Picasso's style and treats camouflage as a form of fashion. These video-pictures serve as a commentary on painting as both a window and a mirror, projecting viewers' desires and dreams through a modern technological lens. This article originally appeared in the January & February 2015 issue of ArtReview.