About
Santiago-based,
self-taught abstract artist German Bradley was born in Chile in 1970, but he
was raised and educated in North West England.
His
penchant for drawing and painting started at the age of 10, motivated by his grandfather's charcoal drawings and the characters and illustrations he saw in the comic books he read. Throughout his life, German has always been an avid reader and his artistic inspiration has been mainly based on literature and philosophy, which have had a profound impact on his life.
Abstraction
has allowed him to express his own spiritual and metaphysical vision
of life, represented by symbolic imagery, coming from a
psycho-emotional point of view. Naturally, German is constantly surveying that symbolic outlook he has chosen to infuse in his paintings.
German is an affiliate artist at the Circle Foundation for the Arts in France and has been selected as a member of Artboxy, a platform for artists in Switzerland, and a member of Biafarin, a Canadian art business platform. Articles and interviews about his paintings have appeared in art magazines such as: AlTiba9, Spotlight, Observica and The Artists Corner.
He has participated in collective exhibitions in Paris, Zurich, Venice, Turin, London, Athens and Dubai, and his work has been purchased and commissioned by private collectors and realtors in Chile and Hong Kong.
"German Bradley knows how to model his abstract figures in an emblematic key, as he adheres to an informal naturalism, to which he knows how to give an authentic touch of lyricism."
--Mara Campaner, Sei l'Arte Digital Gallery,"Aspettando l'evento", Turin, Italy
Artist Statement
"
My work is drawn on spiritual and metaphysical concepts of human existence. It's a manifestation of alternate realities, using symbolic circles, lines, curvilinear elements and gestures along with vivid colours and contrast. I work primarily with oil on canvas, combining, blending, glazing and scumbling to create a sense of complexity or simplicity. I also experiment with gesso, heavy gel, plaster, brick powder, salt and grainy materials to add more tactile textures.
Increasingly, my art is moving in the direction of creating more drama. Even though, I am using a different style, tone, colour use and gestural movements, it shares the same intent: to evoke a sense of wonder and to invite the viewer to look beneath the surface of my painting and discover a different, personal perception of reality, away from the collective mental construction we have all lived in. But at the same time, I leave enough room for individual interpretation.
My creative process varies from a carefully planned form of expression where I sketch out my compositions to have a clear outline of the ideas I want to see on the canvas, and a totally intuitive, spontaneous form where I just let myself go and trust my instincts, letting the painting guide me. My favourite tools are brushes, paper towels, palette knives and my own fingers. A lifelong connection with subjects such as the planes of existence and understanding, ancient cultural knowledge and the concept of infinite life has always been the source of inspiration for my art and my own lifestyle."
Selected Group Exhibitions
29 Dec, 2023 - 7 Jan, 2024 "Future Stars Xmas Edition", The Holy Art Gallery, The Factory, 21-31 Shacklewell
Lane, London, UK
29 Dec, 2023 - 7 Jan, 2024 "Future Stars", The Holy Art Gallery, Praxitelous 26, Athens, Greece
7 Nov -7 Dec, 2023 "Euphoria", The Holy Art Gallery, The Factory, 21-31 Shacklewell Lane, London, UK
1-30 November, 2023 Andakulova Gallery, Unit 18, 4 Level, Damac Park Towers, Dubai, UAE
1-18 August, 2023 Cipriarte Venezia Gallery, Venice, Italy
6 Jan -31 March, 2021 The Artbox Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
6 Dec, 2020-31 Jan, 2021 "Aspettando l'evento", Sei l'Arte Digital Gallery, Turin, Italy
20-24 August, 2020 "The Swiss Art Expo", Zurich, Switzerland
16-22 June, 2020 "Expo Metro Opera Station", Paris, France
Publications, Interviews and Catalogues
"German Bradley Abstractions Portfolio 2017-2021",
FlipHTML5, digital brochure, 16 pages, September, 2023
"German Bradley Abstractions Portfolio 2015-2016",
FlipHTML5, digital brochure, 18 pages, September, 2023
Promotional Art Calendar, Publisher Artbox.Groups GmbH,
28 pages, 21cm x 21cm, January, 2021
"Aspettando l'evento". Exhibition Catalogue,
pages 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, January, 2021
Interview--The Artist Corner Magazine, March 2021
Interview--Al-Tiba9 Contemporary Art Magazine, July 2021
Observica Art Magazine 9th issue, Special Edition,
pages 121, 122, December 2020
Spotlight Contemporary Art Magazine 20th issue,
pages 24, 25, October/November 2020
Spotlight Contemporary Art Magazine 18th issue,
page 18, April/May 2020
Commissions
"Serenity" Commissioned painting/triptych for a private collector in Santiago, Chile, 2021
"Strands II" Commissioned painting for a private collector in Santiago, Chile, 2019
"Dryad" Commissioned painting for a private collector in Santiago, Chile, 2016
Links to Portfolios and Online Galleries
Feel free to have a look, share or download my portfolios as flipbooks on the links below. You will find some personal notes and information about my creative process.