Johannesburg-based illustrator, Bianca Brand, has a preference for dark and
strange subject matter. It is quite surprising then that her work is distinctively colourful.
For her first exhibition ‘Strange Creatures’, Brand has created a series of illustrations utilising bright and electric colours to create intriguing rather than disturbing artworks. Her style might seem Surrealist but the symbolism of lines, shapes and repetitions in her work echo an older form of art like rock art and tribal etchings.
“I love narratives,” says Brand, in a recent interview with Represent. “But (these illustrations) are not real stories. I couldn’t tell you what is happening, or what each one is about, because they are not about anything.”
Instead, each untitled piece depicts a mystical society by creating other-worldly creatures and textural landscapes.
““An illustrator has to predict what other people may feel and find a way to capture that. Illustrators specifically produce for an audience; we create posters, album covers, merchandising. It’s much less about us and much more about tapping into the audience’s emotions surrounding the product, organisation or event for which we are creating.”
Strange Creatures will run until the 5th of December 2015 at Priest Espressobar and each print is available for purchase.
*A special thanks to Represent for the exposure and images*
