KELSEY BROOKES is a former scientist who uses his background in biological and empirical methodology to create a new genre of art. His practice takes ideas and forms found in logic and natural systems (molecular and atomic structure, number sequences etc.) and creates art that blurs the boundaries between science and art. This methodology becomes the instrument used to create lively and colorful work that is both meticulously crafted and conceptually rigorous. His detailed paintings and sculptures find a balance between the normally opposing philosophies of subjectivity and objectivity, as well as concept and aesthetic. Diving into the discoveries of the physicist, mathematicians and chemist as only a scientist can then reducing and express that knowledge to the nonscientific world in the form of image and color as only an artist can.
Brookes has had solo exhibitions in La Jolla, Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, London and Berlin. His work was featured as the cover art for the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2012 “I’m With You record and The Flaming Lips’ 2013 “Stone Roses” LP. KELSEY BROOKES: Psychedelic Space is the first monograph of the artist’s artwork and examines three years of work and four solo exhibitions. His work belongs in esteemed private collections, as well as the public permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the Frederick R. Weisman Foundation.
KELSEY BROOKES - CV
1978 Born Denver, CO
1996-2000 Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Lives and works in San Diego, CA
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITION
2019 PERCEPTION AND HALLUCINATION, Quint Gallery, La Jolla CA
2018 FOBONACCI, WAVEFORMS AND CAPSID SYMMETRIES, Quint Gallery, La Jolla CA
2017 THE MATHEMATICS UNDERLYING ART, PACE Prints, New York
2016 POSITION, Library Street Collective, Detroit MI
THE GOLDEN RATION: AESTHETICS AND MATHEMATICS, Compound Projects, Malibu, CA
2015 PSYCHEDELIC SPACE, Quint Gallery, La Jolla, CA
PLANTS OF THE GODS, Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY
2014 SLEEP: THE SCIENCE AND THE MYSTERY, Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI
2013 BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY, Judith Charles Gallery, New York, NY
RECREATIONAL DRUGS, Valmorbida, London, UK
2012 SEROTONIN: HAPPINESS AND SPIRITUAL STATES, Quint Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
MEDITATIONS ON SYMMETRY, Compound Projects, Malibu, CA
2011 DESIRES OF THE SOUL, The Outsiders, London, England
2010 KELSEY BROOKES – CAPED CREATURES, Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2009 BIGGER, BRIGHTER, BOLDER, Quint Contemporary Art, La Jolla, CA
2008 KELSEY BROOKES, New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywoodric , CA
2007 SUPER NUMERARY, Milieu Gallery, Bern, Switzerland
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2014 DAZED & CONFUSED, Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY
STATE OF THE ART: DISCOVERING AMERICAN ART NOW, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AK
2013 WORKS ON PAPER II, Quint Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
2011 REALITY BITES, Post No Bills, Venice Beach, CA
2010 HERE NOT THERE: SAN DIEGO ART NOW, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla, CA
SURVEY SELECT, curated by Mark Murphy, Wonderbread Factory, San Diego, CA
COME AS YOU ARE, Prism, Los Angeles, CA
TOTAL ECLIPSE: KELSEY BROOKES, KIME BUZZELLI, AND ALBERT REYES, New Image Art, Los Angeles, CA
2009 QUINT: THREE DECADES OF CONTEMPORARY ART, California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum, Escondido, CA
RETROSPECTIVE, Laz Inc, London, England
HOMING IN: AN EXHIBTION OF 50 SAN DIEGO ARTISTS, Quint Contemporary Art, La Jolla, CA
RVCAX LODOWN, Lodown Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2008 SEE NO EVIL, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA
SMASH & GRAB, Laz Inc, London, England
OPEN DAY, Pictures On Walls, London, England
SCION PRESENTES INSTALLATION 4 - LOS ANGELES, Scion Installation LA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
AJ FOSIK AND KELSEY BROOKES, White Walls Gallery, San Francisco, CA
FAIRFAX + HAIGHT, RVCA, San Francisco, CA
A BENEFIT SHOW, Fecal Face Dot Gallery, San Fransico, CA
SEMI-PERMANENT ART, Australia
POSTER RENAISSANCE, London, England
WELCOME HOME, Fecal Face Dot Gallery, San Fransico, CA
GOLD RUSH, Okay Mountain Gallery, Austin, TX
2007 OPENING GROUP SHOW, Lazarides Gallery, Newcastle, England
SANTA’S GHETTO, West Bank, Palestine
'REPLACE ‘PLEASE’ WITH FAST & ‘THANK YOU’ WITH GOD', Lab 101, Los Angeles, CA
OUT OF TOWNERS, Fecal Face Dot Gallery, San Fransico, CA
BRODEO, New Image Art, Santa Monica, CA
INSTALLATION SCION ART TOUR 4 - NYC, The Reed Space, New York, NY
10 CURATORS, Colette, Paris, France
THE RETURE OF SAINITY, Andenken Gallery
2006 SANTA’S GHETTO, Pictures On Walls, London, England
Giant Robot, San Francisco, CA
RATTLE THE CHANDELIER, Lab 101, Los Angeles, CA
Magpie, San Diego, CA
City Beat Art Show, San Diego, CA
KCDC + RVCA, Brooklyn, NY
THE 125TH AVNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNET, BLK/MARKT Gallery, Culver City, CA
TNT INSIDE-OUT, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego, CA
LIVE ART INSTALLATION AND EXHIBITION, RVCA, Seattle, WA
STENCH, SEVENTEEN ARTISTS KICK UP A STINK, Lazarides, London, England
2005 SANTA’S GHETTO, Pictures On Walls, London, England
SELECTED ART FAIRS
2014 Miami Project, Quint Gallery
Untitled, Eric Firestone Gallery
Wynwood Walls, Miami, Library Street Collective
2013 Art Los Angeles Contemporary, Quint Contemporary Art
Miami Project, Quint Contemporary Art
2010 Art San Diego – Quint Contemporary Art
2008 Aqua Miami – New Image
2007 Aqua Miami – New Image
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2015 “KELSEY BROOKES: PSYCHEDELIC SPACE,” Published and Distributed by Gingko Press in association with Quint Gallery and Library Street
Collective (Designed by Wendy Belt), 2015.
McCormick, Ken. “Banksy collection put up for auction by artist's former agent from Bristol,” Bristol Post (bristolpost.co.uk, accessed February 3),
January 23.
Forrest, Nicholas. “Steve Lazarides to Sell Banksy Prints at Bonhams,” uk.blouinartinfo.com (accessed February 3), January 13.
2014 Chute, James. “Brookes latest in 'Murals of La Jolla' series,” San Diego Union-Tribune, August 26.
Sherman, Pat. “Mesmerizing Mural: New public artwork on Ivanhoe Avenue is first under Athenaeum auspices in La Jolla,” La Jolla Light, August 20.
Chute, James. “Belt, Adey and Brookes make the cut for Crystal Bridges: Three San Diego artists represented in 'State of the Art' show,” San Diego
Union-Tribune, August 18.
DeVito, Lee. “Science meets art in Kelsey Brookes’ psychedelic paintings,” metrotimes.com (Detroit Metro Times), July 22.
2012 Chute, James. “Overwhelming Beauty,” UT San Diego, December 20, p. 31.
Heist, Annette. “Your Brain On… Art,” sciencefriday.com, accessed November 7.
Murphy, Mark. “Kelsey Brookes Serotonin Visits,” murphydesign1.blogspot.com, accessed November 2.
Granite, Amy T. “Kelsey Brookes Gets Trippy,” sdcitybeat.com, accessed October 31.
Myrland, Susan. “San Diego’s emerging art scene: Kelsey Brookes, ‘Serotonin; Happiness and Spiritual States,” utsandiego.com, accessed October
30.
Bennett, Kelly. “A Scientist-Painter Considers the Molecules of Well-Being,”voiceofsandiego.org, accessed October 26.
“Kelsey Brookes | Serotonin: Happiness and Spiritual States,” rvca.com, accessed October 3.
“Red Hot Chili Peppers Prep Singles Series,” rollingstone.com, accessed June 18.
2011 Stephans, Anna Maria and Seth Combs. “Arts & Power,” Riviera Magazine, December, p. 78.
2010 Anonymous. “Rogues of K Street,” Playboy Magazine, July, p. 34-35.
Pincus, Robert L. “Kelsey Brookes,” ARTnews, June, p. 113-114.
Gilewicz, Samantha. “It’s Life, But Not As We Know It,” Nylon, March, p. 140-141.
2009 Pincus, Robert L. “The Shotgun Approach,” San Diego Union Tribune, December 10, p. 16.
Combs, Seth. “Bright Young Thing,” San Diego City Beat, November 11, p. 66.
Cover, San Diego City Beat, November 4.
Buscemi, Lauren. “Artist Profile: Kelsey Brookes,” Art Ltd., November.
Williams, Kate and Mark Whalen. “Kelsey Brookes,” Monster Children, Issue #24.
“Preserving the Sacred: The Art of Kelsey Brookes,” sezio.org, accessed April 13.
Hatton, Hayley. “Heathen Chemistry,” Dazed and Confused, April, p.44. GQ Magazine.
2008 Lazarides, Steve. Outsiders: Art by People, London: Random House, 2008, pp. 38, 114-115, 142-143, 252-253.
“Kelsey Brookes’ First U.S. Solo Show,” Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine,
November 6. htt HYPERLINK "p://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/kelsey-brookes-first-us so" p://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/kelsey-brookes-first-us
solo-show. Accessed April 30, 2009.
O’Shea, Jamie. “7 of the Wildest Cards Working in the Art World,”Paper, August, pp.54-57.
RE:UP Magazine
2007 “Profile: Kelsey Brookes,” Juxtapoz, November, p.44.
Jones, Josh. “Paint or Surf?,” Huck, November, p.38.
Oñate, Curro. “Kelsey Brookes: ¿Por Qué No?” Staf.thenew.popculture (Spain), April, pp. 88-91
2006 FAESTHETIC, Issue 6. 160 pages.
“Kelsey Brookes,” Happy Magazine, July, pp.112-121.
RE:UP Magazine
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AK
Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
Chapman University, The Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Collection of Art, Orange, CA