New San Diego Artist of the Year Nominee Greg Brotherton

Kicking off San Diego Art Month, the San Diego Fine Art Society presents the first annual San Diego Fine Art Awards this September.
Providing recognition for new and notable members of the San Diego arts community, Fine Art Awards categories include: Exhibition of the Year at a Museum, Exhibition of the Year at a Gallery, New Artist of the Year, Patron of the Year and People’s Choice.

Nominees for New Artist of the Year include Greg Brotherton, Susy Bielak and Shinpei Takeda. In honor of San Diego Art Month, we sat down with Gary Brotherton to learn more about his artistic vision and how it feels to be nominated for such a prestigious award.

Greg Brotherton sees a great deal of art in science and twists the fundamental principles of form and utility to create dark, industrial sculptures that evoke Kafka-esque emotive landscapes of great oppression and suffering. His memorable sculptures are influenced by derelict factories and elevator shafts and are hand-crafted with unique artifacts such as a Word War I weapons and vintage boyscout backpacks. A natural genre-defying artist from a young age, Brotherton’s kindergarten homework was dismissed as irrelevant when he turned a painting project into a paper sculpture of a whale. Brotherton says his nomination was unexpected, but we think it’s perfectly on-point. Get to know Greg Brotherton in this week’s San Diego artist spotlight on DiscoverSD.com.

DiscoverSD: How does it feel to be nominated for the Prometheus New Artist of the Year award? Where were you and how did you react when you first found out?

Greg Brotherton: It is fantastic and was unexpected, I was at the studio preparing to go to Australia. My wife called and told me, I think my reaction was: "Why would they want me? Don't they know what I do?"

DSD: Your incredible sculptures show the relationship between art and science. Can you explain your vision for making these two realms collide?

GB: I see a great deal of art already in science, some of it is accidental, much of it comes from the underlining principals of form and utility. I like to feature these areas in my sculptures by highlighting them out of context, or giving them anthropomorphic characteristics.

DSD: We love the way you use industrial design and architectural influences in your sculptures. What artists and/or landmarks give you inspiration?

GB: The Quay Brothers, Lee Bontecou, derelict factories, sewers, bridges, tanks, boilers, anti-aircraft guns, elevator shafts, subways, cranes, ships.

DSD: What is your favorite sculpture you’ve ever created?

GB: My favorite sculpture is always the last one I finished, so this week it is "The Bishop" a bloated spidery figure made from a vintage boyscout backpack.

DSD: What are some of the Political Fiction elements you incorporate into your sculptures?

GB: Themes of escape, forbidden discovery, oppression, rebellion. It is more the feeling of a Kafka or Orwell story that resonates with me instead of specific elements.

DSD: What are some of the antique weapons and unique items used to create your sculptures? Where do you get these artifacts?

GB: It's more the look of a WW1 artifact that I go for, the sinister feel of war utility colliding with new technologies and old craft. Most of the found objects I use come from junk yards and industrial liquidation houses, but I often miniaturize and mimic things found in old photos.

DSD: What was the very first sculpture you ever created?

GB: I made a paper whale sculpture in kindergarten. The assignment was to do a painting and my work was dismissed as irrelevant.

DSD: Where do you see your career five years from now?

GB: I hope it is as good as it is now. I'm in several museums, have a 20 piece solo show coming up in Belgium next year. I see much of my future time spent in the European market justifying vacations where many of my collectors are.

DSD: Why do you love living in San Diego? What about San Diego inspires your artistic vision?

GB: I love the weather the people and after 10 years in LA, I love being able to drive somewhere in 5 minutes. Artistically I'd probably be better off somewhere depressing full of failing factories and bulging junk yards.

DSD: When you’re not working, where can we find you in San Diego?

GB: Home in Point Loma, enjoying the weather and my family.

Kicking off San Diego Art Month in high style, the San Diego Fine Art Society presents the first annual San Diego Fine Art Awards to be held at the Contemporary Art Fair’s VIP Opening Night cocktail party on Thursday, September 2, 2010 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. Extending far beyond just the cultural impact of the local artist, the Fine Art Awards celebrate the varied achievements of individuals, organizations and programs that enrich our local community through the arts. 

Discover more about the 2010 Fine Art Awards presented by the San Diego Fine Art Society.