Norbert Brunner. Authenticity and Courage

About

Can you be the first to jump? make a change? It takes courage to welcome the beauty of being different – are you ready to be the divergent?

The influence of the media and the flood of information, both false and real, has come to a point where it can be paralyzing to the daily work a day world. Propagated by fear, anxiety prevents us from evolving personally, and in turn gives extremism nutritious ground, in which to grow in a global fashion. We are all different; humans each have their own attributes and flaws. We can celebrate this as the diversity of ideas is an excellent platform for growth as a society and culture.

Brunner hopes to inspire the viewer to invest in their own talent and individuality. He hopes to give voice to the unusual and shun the average, to empower the individual to courageously voice decent and not become the average. One can recognize their own needs for growth and happiness.

The exhibition consists of nine new works from the artist’s continuing studio practice; Brunner’s photo dot objects and crystal text objects create a new way of looking at “portraits”. These portraits will be both of persons and places, iconic imagery meant to encourage and inspire. By calling into question our perception of a “portrait” as a real moment in time, Brunner has created a body of work in which one’s own reflection becomes part of the performance; all works contain Brunner’s signature mirrored back which involves the viewer and make them the final part of the work of art itself.

Neither a mirror nor a photograph can capture reality; we see only an interpretation of that which is captured in the confines of our perception of time. Not an exact reflection of reality but a distorted conveyance that readily offers back to the viewer an interface with one’s own, preconceived prejudices, strengths, hopes, and experiences.

The main wall at the back of the Gallery will feature one of Brunner’s iconic Swarovski crystal text mirror objects. “fear is the enemy of progress” is the rallying cry to our generation and that of our children. Black and white "polaroid pictures” are juxtaposed opposite wall from full color lush landscapes. The viewer walks in between the two and is caught in both reflections. The artist’s instant capture of a moment in time, man, and the eternity and majesty of nature and the natural world emphasize the historic moment we find ourselves reflected in.

Utilizing a new advanced polaroid camera for his human portraits, Brunner further emphasizes the capture of “now”. This new vehicle gives the photographer only a limited influence on the outcome; there is no ability to change the depth of field, focus or lighting conditions and, of course there is no photoshop as is the norm with digital photography. The resulting work takes on a painterly quality heretofore unseen with the photographic process. The artist uses a digital camera to take the landscapes, choosing imagery with the construct of inspiring both tranquility and awe in the viewer. All photographs are then scanned into the artist’s computer and further processed in his signature multilayered point technique in order to relativize the visual content. Texts are interwoven in the photographic dot layers; as always they are only recognizable from the frontal or direct approach. Here Brunner is reemphasizing his concept of facing everything in life head on and straight away and thus the evaluation and interpretation remains with the viewer.

In Authenticity and Courage, Brunner questions and explores boundaries placed upon us by societal, social, cultural and religious differences, without evaluating or judging. Again and again the viewer and his surroundings are mirrored and thus merged into a single multidimensional construct, with each step taken changing the observant person’s vantage point... could it change his point of view? The answers in life will come from within ourselves when we are brave enough to confront the questions directly.