Kresge Art Museum: Master of Fine Arts Exhibition

Bryan Prillwitz

painting: My drawings and paintings combine war machines with the human image to portray primitive feelings and sexuality, inner memory, desire, and conflict. I want to describe the tortures of denial and the feeling of diminishment that exists for both sexes in this period of perpetual war. The pairing of the elegant with the brooding, and the feminine with the masculine, are made real through the physicality of paint and the performance of line.
Beyond the Sea: Pigment stick, oil, and pastel crayon
on uprimed linen
115" X 74"

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Memory and History: Digital output
Dimensions variable
Graphic Design: "Memory is life, borne by living societies founded in its name.…History, on the other hand, is the reconstruction, always problematic and incomplete, of what is no longer."
—Pierre Nora, 1989
Collective memory, distinct from one's individual recollection...: is constructed by society and contributes to its history. Because it is assumed that historians record events objectively and impartially, academic history is generally accepted as truth. However, memory—regardless if collective or individual—is inherently subjective. So is history.

The past truly exists as one truth, yet variable perceptions expressed by different individuals influence each other, and coalesce to form a collective consciousness. My work is guided by the relationships between memory, society, and history. It is intended as a critique of what is presumed to be true interpretations of past events.

printmaking: Architectural relics such as doors, walls, and furniture retain signs of use in their surface. I use a printmaking process to explore the traces of history that are ingrained in these objects. The resulting impression on paper is a fragile translation of the narrative inherent in the original artifact: at once a record of presence and a reminder of absence.

These prints are sculptural in their scale and depth, and when combined create a space where the viewer can contemplate the histories of relics. I use sound to further explore these memories, embedding another layer of experience and echoing the trace of the viewer on the print itself.
Bed: Embossed paper
40" x 80" x 10"

Genetics determined our past and decides our future...: Aging reveals what makes us most vulnerable, that which we cannot control. Illness produces an upheaval forming an emotive release of humanity. By isolating a moment, my work embraces the struggle of experience. The forms I construct come from snapshots of my family's past; ordinary instances that embody a lifetime. The figures in my work are frozen in time, referencing the strain we endure while experiencing loss. The connection shared biologically amongst family members forces us to face the fear of illness becoming a pattern rather than a coincidence.
Beyond Distortions: Bronze and organdy
Dimensions variable
sculpture: "I am never free of the past. I have made it crystal clear that I believe the past is part of the present which becomes part of the future."
—Lee Krasner, 1977

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The Watcher: Mixed-media and projection
Dimensions variable
sculpture: Reality is determined by one's perception and memory of experience. What is real or virtual is unique to each individual, and each individual is influenced by their immediate experiences and environment. Virtual worlds and electronic spaces provide global opportunities to explore taboos, dangerous or fantastic situations, and identities through a layer of anonymity with protection from physical harm. In my work I look to harness and explore the possibilities of these realities to discover its potential to radically alter social and cultural dynamics.

ceramics: "Painting relates to both art and life. Neither can be made. (I try to act in that gap between the two.)"
—Robert Rauschenberg, 1959
In today's society...: ...there is a steady growth in our use of communication devices. We are able to form bonds with others that are nurtured emotionally and psychologically, however, physical proximity is not always necessary. When we use these devices it is as though we enter another space and time, where we are physically in our environment but are psychologically disconnected.

My installation explores our desire to be connected through these devices, our ever-increasing dependency and interactions with them, and how they alter our relationships with other people. Communication wire forms a waterfall that references our endless dependency and creates an interactive space in which viewers can explore this liminal reality.
Installation Sketch: Communication wire, sound (headphones), ceramics, wood, and steel
Dimensions variable

ceramics: Certain aspects of the human experience are so personal and deeply felt that oftentimes they are unnameable. The build-up of stress, a traumatic event, or daily anxieties can produce physical reactions in our body. An unbearable weight, sharp piercing, and sinking sensations are feelings that can be manifested in our psyche. My work examines the relationship between physical and psychological pain.

I use a variety of materials to visually translate a pain that exists in our mind but is felt in our body. I construct forms by isolating and abstracting areas of pain and unease felt within my body. Different materials are collaged and layered to reveal what is unseen and conceal areas where sensations are not yet understood. I hope to trigger a visceral awareness of this phenomenon in viewers by evoking personal experiences and sensations.
Untitled, detail: Latex and porcelain
Dimensions variable

painting: I am fascinated with humanity and love to paint people. Whether understood as complex physiological organisms or as souls swaddled in flesh, humans embody mystery and potentiality. My interest goes beyond the unseen and incorporeal elements to also embrace the physicality of people as well as their collective psychology.

I find subtle moments revealing—the tension in an arm, the curve of a shoulder, the intense look in an eye, and the connections people make when they look at each other. My current series acts as both portraiture and as conduit to express emotion for myself, for the model, and for the viewer. Through my use of color, composition, and the expressive language of paint, my work connects the personal to that which links us as human beings.
Grant: Oil on canvas
54" x 72"