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Brian Cannady II

Brian Cannady II is a multimedia artist and avid fan of mythology, superheroes, and manga. He earned his BFA and MFA in Computer Graphics from New York Institute of Technology. 

Brian's studies led him to develop the promotional mascot for SIGGRAPH Asia 2009. Though he studied digital sculpture, Brian's love of clay, watercolor, and digital painting inspire him the most. 

Currently, Brian exhibits his paintings, sculptures, and illustrations across galleries and conventions along the Northeast. His passion for the Arts led to earning the Marvin Horowitz Sculpture award. Brian has curated two exhibitions, Character Among Us and Our Muses Do Ninety.

When he's not creating Brian enjoys relaxing by walking in nature, observing the world around him to take in inspiration, or reading a new comic/manga.

"My creative process involves immersing myself in research and surrounding myself with imagery/shapes, forms and textures that I feel can resonate with the narrative Iā€™m creating. Those separate items go through a sifting process as I forge a visual language for the work at hand.  My latest body of work, The Orisha's, is a personal account of reclaiming identity. The project evolves as I wrestle with long held negative ideologies, deconstruct spiritual beliefs, focus on feelings of anti-blackness and my connection to that narrative, and I sever those bonds to build a new understandings." - Brian Cannady II

Artist Statement

My work focuses on self-recovery. More specifically, recovering my sense of self and severed connections to Black culture. My work has been informed by my formative experiences of being silenced, discouraged from self expression, and separated from the larger Black culture around me. These forms of isolation, which were expressed in my familial, spiritual and emotional realities, have greatly informed my artistry.

Through my artistic process, I am separating myself from personal trauma, reclaiming masculinity from colonialism's harmful influence, unbinding my current perception of femininity from the male gaze, and combating erasure by reaffirming the historical accuracy of Black experiences throughout the Diaspora. I affirm these new understand- ings by researching topics concerning the psychology of masculinity, the synergy between historical occurrences across the African diaspora, and practicing mindful composition of these topics within my artwork.

I explore these topics by converging digital painting, traditional painting, illustration, sculpture, and mixed media to develop narratives that center Black experiences.

Awards

Winner of the Purple Ribbon award Blue Door Art Center 2021

Winner of the 2008 Marvin Horwitz Sculpture Award

Exhibitions

Harlem Fine Arts Show 2023

African Heritage Festival 2022

Yonkers Arts Week 2022

Alvin and Friends 2022

Harlem Fine Arts Show 2021

Caribbean Fine Art Fair

NY State of Mind Art Exhibit 2019

Harlem Fine Arts Show

NY State of Mind Art Exhibit 2019

Kartell NYC Art Show 2019

We Are Family Art Exhibit 2019

Black ComicBook Festival 2019

Decemberfest 2018

NYCC 2018

Septemberfest 2018

Westchester Fashion Week 2016

NYCC Special Edition 2015

NYCC 2014

Harambe Black Arts Festival 2014

C2E2 2014

Our Muses Do 90 2014

NYCC 2013

Steel City Con 2013

Characters Among Us 2013