Brian Bress

Los Angeles-based artist Brian Bress has described himself as coming to video with the agenda of a painter. His single and multi-channel videos draw a connection between the two-dimensional mediums of film, photography and painting. When gazing at one of Bress’s wall-mounted HD-monitor works, the videos use new technology to address the elements of art —form, color, space, and composition — in inspiring new ways.

Framed like a painting or drawing, each monitor presents an active window into Bress’s imaginative world. From the elaborate costumes to the shallow sets, each element is created and filmed in Bress’s studio. Playing on a loop, the soundless videos often depict the artist himself in different costumes. Bress has played chefs, fireman, farmers, and cowboys in front of the camera. Breaking the fourth wall, Bress often looks directly at his camera to create the impression that the viewer is interacting directly with the character on the screen.

Bress’s work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions in cities around the world, including Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Geneva and Rome. His piece entitled Chefs #4 is on view in the Arts Aventura Mall Collection.