Hebru Brantley

Lilac (AP)

2020

Hebru Brantley is a contemporary painter and sculptor whose work touches on onerous subjects in a manner that is playful to the viewer — he tells his stories through youthful characters and their adventures in a comic-book style.

Inspired by his childhood as an African American in 1980s Chicago, Brantley’s prints, scultpures and other work can be described as an infusion of contemporary Pop art with Japanese anime and the bold aesthetics of street art pioneers Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kaws and Keith Haring. While spray paint is often at the forefront of his mixed-media illustrations, Brantley utilizes a plethora of mediums from oil, acrylic and watercolor to non-traditional mediums like coffee and tea.

Describing himself as an Afro-futurist, Brantley’s energetic narratives combine realistic events with imaginative, fantastical fiction to create fragmented compositions that evoke sentimental nostalgia and inspire confidence.

Find original Hebru Brantley art on 1stDibs.