Bradley Theodore

​BRADLEY THEODORE, one of the most recognized emergent artists and personalities. Well-known for his famous ‘Anne and Karl’ wall painting, Theodore has shaken the contemporary art world with his striking use of color, his passion for fashion and his personality. We had the chance to meet Theodore just a couple of weeks after the grand opening of the much awaited ‘The Second Coming’, Theodore’s second London solo exhibition at the renowned Maddox Gallery, to learn a little more on what inspires him.

​ARTEMEST: You were born in Turks and Caicos, now you live in New York and you travel all the time. In what way the place you were born and the places you visit contribute to your way of looking at the world and expressing it in your art?

BT: The energy that I absorb from different places is very important to my art. Turks and Caicos also plays an important role: the culture, the history, the unique colors of the flowers, of the water, these definitely inspire my artworks.

I am actually thinking about creating an artist retreat in Turks and Caicos. There are different artists that are not able to experience what I experience, so I think it would be great to hang out together in such an inspiring place and then go back to work with a lot of inspiration.

ARTEMEST: Are there any other places that are an important source of inspiration for your artworks?

BT: I love walking around Venice actually. It’s a beautiful and incredibly inspiring city: the details of the buildings, the sculptures, everything that surrounds you. Going to Italy is definitely very inspiring for an artist.

ARTEMEST: Dias De Los Muertos is a recurring theme and an important source of inspiration for your artworks. What inspires you the most about this theme?

BT: I think it’s about seeing things differently, in my culture we have a different relationship with death, we don’t really see death as something bad but just as your spirit going to another world. The first time I painted a skull I just wanted to paint an emotion.

ARTEMEST: How do you feel while painting? What is the strongest feeling that drives you while creating your pieces?

BT: When I’m painting a go in a bubble. At the beginning, you feel like ‘wow this is a great painting. This kind of look amazing’ and in the middle you think ‘OMG, this is not looking like I thought. I don’t feel like I’m going to get finished’ and then I personally try to encourage myself with positive energy and focus on saying ‘this is going to be my most beautiful painting’ and then I get to end ad I say ‘wow this is amazing’

ARTEMEST: In your opinion which of your artworks best represents your philosophy and style?

BT: I would say my two very best artworks are: ‘The Last Supper’ and the piece with ‘Anna and Karl’.

ARTEMEST: Street Art has been an important part of your artistic journey. If you could choose to paint a wall in an Italian street where would it be?

BT: Anywhere in Milan would be great. I actually already did one in Milan for Moleskine during the latest Milan Design Week.

ARTEMEST: Who is your favorite Italian artist and in which Italian museum would you like your pieces to be exhibited?

BT: I would say my classic favorite artist is Michelangelo and I would love my pieces to be shown in Florence.

ARTEMEST: Let’s talk about your latest solo exhibition at London’s Maddox Gallery. ‘The Second Coming’ includes some sculptures, are sculptures something you might want to focus on in the near future?

BT: Yes. I have started sculpture about one year ago and I wanted to get people a little pick into some ideas I am working on.

ARTEMEST:The Second Coming also includes your personal interpretation of Leonardo’s The Last Supper. How did it feel to reinterpret one of the world’s most famous paintings?

BT: For me as an artist it has been a challenge to redo a painting of a master. And to be able to do this and to have the possibility of showing it in London has been amazing. That painting helped me develop many new techniques that I am using today in many other paintings.

ARTEMEST:The Second Coming includes some VR elements and you are working as a virtual reality artist in residence for Google. What do you think about Digital media?

I think it’s quite amazing, I mean, it opens your mind to what the future could hold and being one of the first actual art shows that includes virtual reality gives a normal viewer the chance to enter into a third dimension and see things from a different perspective.