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March/April 1995 |
THE ARCHIVE |
Issue #2 |
The Journal of the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation |
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Patrick Brady: Iconoclast Artist Finds a Voice at
Leslie-Lohman |
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I never dreamt a pleasant dream, angry are mine. |
On April 18 Patrick Brady will have a place to display his art. For many artists, finding a space to show their work seems commonplace, but when your art is of an explicitly sexual nature, particularly a homoerotic nature, finding a venue is no easy feat. Yes, Mr. Brady has on one occasion had a show in SoHo, but his narrative art, including one piece making a statement about religious hypocrisy, was covered up when a special audience was in that gallery one night, for fear that someone might be ?offended.? Where, then would he ever find a place to display homoerotic art, making political statements? The answer was the Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation. ?The Foundation gives us something we would not otherwise have,? says Mr. Brady. He is convinced that without Leslie-Lohman, his most recent works would not have found what he calls, "a voice." Leslie-Lohman has helped him give a voice to his work, which the New York art community has so often rejected. For Mr. Brady, the exhibition will offer hope for his future as an artist, and will offer all Leslie-Lohman patrons the opportunity to view imaginative work that is political, philosophical, and always sexual. The Devil With The Blue Dress On… The show includes a painting of Jesse Helms doing the wild thing while worshiping a photo of J. Edgar Hoover in drag, wearing a blue low-cut dress. This vision of our renowned politicians is a glimpse of the many ways Patrick Brady sees the world: hypocritical, yet colorful, and certainly sexual. This particular work, St. Jesse In Masturbation, was inspired by Caravaggio's painting, St. Jerome In Meditation. Mr. Brady believes that his painting of Helms and Hoover, like those of Caravaggio, offer a realistic view of life through the artist?s eye. Caravaggio, a 14th Century Italian artist, was censored for his realistic portrayals of his contemporaries. Brady's rendering of Helms and Hoover enable him to portray these modern-day figures from his point of view. Another work in this show alludes to this former Catholic altar boy's religious roots: there's Queen's Freddy Mercury being lifted up on a cross. For Mercury and Brady Gethsemane continues. Other pieces in this exhibition as well, while always sexual, are often inspired by a religious past. Shattered Images: Mr. Brady, ever the iconoclast, shatters not only the expected -- Republican-Conservatives, Religious-right -- but exposes any hypocrisy or wrongs that he sees. His homoerotic vision of who killed Malcolm X, is a statement against yet another of society's icons that need to be shown for what Mr. Brady often describes as, "what it really is." For some, these images may be seen as shocking or rebellious. For Patrick Brady, they simply are images he sees as a natural part of his everyday life. He admits that his harrowing vision of the world is sometimes upsetting. In fact, a line from a poem he wrote describes this troubled state: "I never dreamt a pleasant dream, angry are mine." Brady goes on to say that so many of his thoughts are "dark." This darkness may be a result of a life as a laboring young artist who has overcome life-threatening situations: in 1985 he fractured his skull while skateboarding and a year and a half later, he landed back in the hospital with spinal meningitis. Since living in New York City, his frail health has on more than one occasion led him into the emergency room. In addition to his health issues, Patrick, like so many others, constantly mourns the loss of precious life to AIDS. Mr. Brady emotionally recounts the loss of a close female friend who died when she could no longer fight a virus that was consuming her. Patrick Brady, as artist, emotionally expressed his view of AIDS when he painted the head of a corpse lying in the dirt: "When I said I wanted to get laid, I didn't mean in the ground." The Artist: This painting, making a statement about an insidious disease, and the political-sexual paintings that are part of Mr. Brady's upcoming show, illustrate the depth and talent of this 27 year-old bisexual artist. Using acrylic and airbrush as a medium, Patrick Brady has created an outstanding myriad of work. And he is grateful for the opportunity to display his work at Leslie-Lohman, sharing the space with two other exceptional artists: Mapplethorpe and Haring. Patrick Brady On Leslie-Lohman: Mr. Brady expresses his gratitude to the Foundation for this unique opportunity. He is zealous in his support of Leslie-Lohman, stating, "I am going to do whatever I can to support the Foundation. I've been looking into in-kind gifts. I want to help someone who helped me." Brady encourages everybody to support the efforts of the Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation so that this haven can continue in its role to display gay art and provide an archive, which will preserve art that would otherwise be lost. Mr. Brady wants the Foundation to be around for a long time. "I hope to one day have a retrospective o my work at Leslie-Lohman in ten, fifteen or maybe twenty years from now." Mr. Brady makes this hopeful statement knowing that the Foundation is currently in need of funding, and without it, the Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation may have to close its doors. He states, "homosexuals, lesbians, heterosexuals, Homo sapiens - all should support this Foundation. Buy a postcard, give a donation, do what you can to help." The Patrick Brady, Robert Mapplethorpe and Keith Haring Exhibition was held April 18 – May 20, 1995. NOTE: Mr. Brady recently donated one of the paintings from this show to LLGAF. We want to thank Mr. Brady for his generosity. WS -- 3/30/98 |
Comments? Questions? Requests? E-mail us: The Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation
©Copyrights to all exhibited artworks belong to the artist. All rights reserved.
©2000 - 2008 The Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation
