| “I’m no Britney Spears,” said Brian Kirhagis as he walked me into his show at the Brooklyn Artist’s Gym. Given the recent state of the pop star, I was not sure how to take this. He sensed my confusion and laughed. “I mean I can do everything you see here right in front of you, I don’t get remixed in some studio,” he explained. “I strive to create art that cannot be created by a computer or photographed.” There was a warm, inviting feeling in the room. Colorful paintings adorned the walls and an easel stood in the middle of the room with some stray brush strokes strewn across the canvas. Smiling faces, music and laughter greeted me—it was plain to see there is an air of hope and belief in this young artist that attracts people to him. |  |
The Evolution of Brian Kirhagis – Lauren Gunsel
“I’m no Britney Spears,” said Brian Kirhagis as he walked me into his show at the Brooklyn Artist’s Gym. Given the recent state of the pop star, I was not sure how to take this. He sensed my confusion and laughed. “I mean I can do everything you see here right in front of you, I don’t get remixed in some studio,” he explained. “I strive to create art that cannot be created by a computer or photographed.”
There was a warm, inviting feeling in the room. Colorful paintings adorned the walls and an easel stood in the middle of the room with some stray brush strokes strewn across the canvas. Smiling faces, music and laughter greeted me—it was plain to see there is an air of hope and belief in this young artist that attracts people to him.
“The Evolution of Brian Kirhagis,” recently on display in Brooklyn this spring, was the first big show for the 23-year-old Baltimore native. He moved to New York six years ago to pursue his lifelong ambition and this collection represents the result, a progressive compilation of the art he has produced.
“It’s not just an art show, it’s an experience,” the flyer promised. With interactive live paintings, a scavenger hunt that lead viewers deeper into each painting and the presence of the artist, who was willing to explain and answer any questions, it truly became an interactive gallery. “I am grateful for so many people to turn out,” he said. “As an artist, I need an audience for my work, and before money or notoriety, I just want people to see it, to feel it and take something from the experience.”
Brian uses a variety of media such as acrylic, oil, graphite, charcoal, colored pencil and Elmer’s glue, creating a striking texture. “The Elmer’s glue is a testament to how crazy life is right now,” he said. “Even though my paintings are all crazy—there’s drips and water and paint everywhere, at the heart of it—at the core of it, is glue.” It’s amazing how he thoroughly calculates each detail: lines, symbols, silhouettes and even the media all have meaning. “It’s kind of like your morals and values,” he reflected. “Everything underneath all the paint is that skeleton of glue that holds it all together.”
To look at his artwork is to delve into a story. It takes time to really get into it and see all of the images hidden within. There is always more to find and piece together like a beautiful puzzle. “Most of the faces and profiles that I hide are to give people more to look at…and a lot of it is just playing with your mind,” he confessed. “I’m fascinated by how different everyone is in the world—different profiles, different people and the way people look. I think that outside of personality, your profile is like your casing or fingerprint.”
His approach, ranging from urban cityscapes to gentle silhouettes, is raw and whimsical at the same time. The influence of Picasso and Dali can be seen in his work but his own versatile style makes it fresh and innovative. “I have a hard time defining it myself,” he pondered. “It’s just natural. Everyday is still a new lesson with a brush, a different medium and pencil—it varies, but overall it’s more than what meets the eye, always a deeper meaning.”
In the earlier pieces, the viewer can witness the artist finding his ground, then taking off and really running with it as he evolves over the six-year span of time. It is evident that the artwork has become more mature, seemingly growing up with him. It makes sense since his paintings are inspired by his journey through life. “My Family—they are my reason,” he stated. “My friends and my girl also inspire me everyday. Possessing the ability to create inspires me. I have a gift that allows me to make art—and because I can, I have to—it’s a calling inside of me.”
His grandmother motivated him to return to paper and canvas after a lapse from creating artwork during his teenage years. “She told me, ‘Life is a drawing, a constantly changing work of art that’s made up of hundreds of mistakes that we erase and draw over again and again…it’s only at the end of the journey that we can begin to see the masterpiece take its final form.’”
