CRITICAL REVIEW - M.A.D.S MILANO (videos below)
Exhibited Pieces: My Secret Identity, Nunnery Queen and Classical Courage
BY Alessia Perone, Art Curator M.A.D.S Milano
Ryan Brandimore is an artist who, through the medium of acrylic painting on canvas, emphasizes extremely important issues related to sexuality, religion, and acceptance. The crucial message of love and equality is clear through these artworks, and they are directed to every human being through Ryan's artistic and aesthetic conception, succeeding in creating representations that are complete in every structural and compositional aspect. It is possible to notice a reference to other artistic currents, such as that of Street Art: in fact, in the various backgrounds, the artist creates a reference to the different textures of concrete or plaster, as well as those writing made with spray cans or to the remains of a billboard. All this emerges from the canvases with a strong vital energy, a sensory and colorful vortex that captures the viewer's attention. Moreover, these paintings reveal a hymn to the beauty of the human body, which, from its earliest forms of representation to its constant development of form, has taken on a social meaning charged with emotion and perception. In addition, the expressive component is shown through the analysis of the certainly natural gestures of the various protagonists. As, for example, in “CLASSICAL COURAGE” Ryan wants to highlight the love and joy between a Roman soldier and a persecuted Christian gladiator. The latter, in fact, has a small symbol drawn on his neck made by the overlapping of the first two letters of the Greek name of Christ, the X equivalent to “CH” in the Latin alphabet, with the P indicating the sound “R”. This detail is crucial because the artist gives the viewer a clear connection with the present day: as in ancient Rome, even today world faces with prejudices and persecutions from which the global society absolutely must get rid of! The two characters, enemies par excellence, are united both with a hug and a passionate kiss to show that a war is not only fought with technical and military force, but also requires courage, willingness, and love. This message is so powerful and vibrant that it is capable to shake anyone who admires this work, wishing for change and liberation. While in “MY SECRET IDENTITY”, Ryan emphasizes the power and pride of the LGBTQ+ community to its fullest: with a beaming smile, the boy shows his happiness, despite those who continue to keep their misconceptions, prejudices and nonsense arguments. The hair is reminiscent of the rainbow or "freedom" flag created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, where each color bears a particular meaning: pink is associate with sexuality, red with life, orange with health, yellow with sunlight, turquoise with art and blue with serenity. In addition, another key aspect turns out to be the glasses: referring to Clark Kent/Superman, Ryan is ironic about the idea that just by taking off the glasses you can reveal your inner superhero. Finally, in “NUNNERY QUEEN”, he emphasizes the contrast between religion and human nature. In this case, one could allude to the Nun of Monza in the famous novel “I Promessi Sposi” (The Betrothed) by Alessandro Manzoni: obedient to the precepts of the Catholic religion and the laws of the household, the nun had been deprived of her essence. The artist depicts her as she wanted to be reborn in order to manifest her thoughts and ambitions. As in every age, from ancient Rome to the 1600s up to our contemporary times, hatred and prejudice have always tried to prevail; but the moment of saying enough to that abuse of power has come: Ryan Brandimore's works invite the viewer to bring out, with all the determination and positive energy, love! The only unstoppable force capable of changing the world.
