Claire Oliver Gallery

Norbert Brunner: Smiling Broadly

Norbert Brunner: Smiling Broadly

Thursday, February 16, 2012–Saturday, March 24, 2012


New York, NY USA

Opening reception with the Artist Feb. 16, 6 - 8 p.m.


As Brunner’s work delights both visually and conceptually, the Artist has taken great care to ask more questions in the work than he answers, melding seamless fabrication with deeply meaningful content. The experience one has with Brunner’s work is deeply personal and interactive and yet the work speaks universally. We must stand directly in front of a Brunner work in order for its full content to be revealed to us. As Brunner states, “only by confronting head-on what is possible can you stay true to your pathway. When you move to the side even a little bit, my work dissolves into dots of color and flashes of brilliant crystal, a glittery yet shadowy world not clear or precise, a metaphor for losing your way or wandering off of your chosen direction."

These works call into question our interpretation of a “portrait” as a fixed moment in time. Neither a mirror nor a photograph can capture reality; we see only an interpretation of that which is secured in the confines or perception of time. Artists have an historical precedent of foreshadowing and influencing world cultural shifts. By focusing on art as an empowering encounter, Norbert Brunner brings an artistic voice to an engaged audience. The Artist hopes to instill a desire, not a driving force, which could lead to realizing one's singular capabilities to determine the path of his or her own life and recognizing each individual’s ability to change the world for the better.