Brian Belott’s practice spans media from bookmaking to performance. His work is in constant flow, led by a relentless curiosity, one that is aware of art history yet operates without the anxiety of its influence. His studio is like a creative chemistry lab, where he studies the aesthetic effects of combining various materials, almost to the point of absurdity. With these experiments, he resurrects the mannerisms of Modernism and frees his imagination as he purposefully relinquishes control, foregoing the trappings of orthodoxy. Paper is his medium of choice because it records both intentional and unintentional gestures, which become an important part of the final composition.
Brian Belott (b. 1973, East Orange, NJ) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He received a BFA in 1995 from the School of Visual Arts, NY. His work has shown at The Journal, Brooklyn, NY; LOYAL, Malmö, Sweden; CANADA, New York, NY; and Galerie Zurcher, Paris, France. Notable exhibitions include: Call and Response, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York, NY (2015); Jeunes Créateurs à New York, Musée d’Art Moderne de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France (2014); and Draw Gym, 247365, Brooklyn, NY (2013). Belott’s work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.