Joel Brenden is a multi-disciplinary and conceptual artist based in Buffalo, N.Y. [1] Generally rooted in drawing, his projects embrace design, photography, bookmaking, sculpture, and installation and are often marked by deadpan wit. Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center curator John Massier had this to say about his work: “Brenden collapses nostalgia and memory with various modes of representation and, often, the elusive notion of the future, and all that implies. It may be dreams realized or deferred, or futuristic notions that never had a hope of coming true, or future desires still potentially open for fulfillment. Wholly speculative, certainly. Dubious, perhaps.” [2]
Brenden holds a BFA in drawing from Central Washington University and an MFA in visual studies from University at Buffalo, SUNY. Exhibitions of his work include Beyond/In Western New York: Alternating Currents (2010) and a solo show at Hallwalls (2011), and he is featured in several private collections. In 2010 and 2011 he was a resident artist at Just Buffalo Literary Center where he taught book design. In addition to his work as an exhibiting artist, he works as a graphic designer and instructor in photography, blogs at Tumblr, and posts his photography at Flickr.
For more information on Joel Brenden, visit http://thelessyousee.com/.
[1] Biographical information adapted from http://thelessyousee.com/about-joel-brenden.html. (Accessed 8/19/2014)
.[2] John Massier, “Joel Brenden: Completely Speculative,” http://www.hallwalls.org/visual/5157.html. (Accessed 8/19/2014)