Artist Statement

brandon hodges grew up in the east suburbs of the san francisco bay area, the red haired kid who always felt a little bit like an alien. his parents split when he was four, and he spent his childhood going back and forth between two houses, drawing, building houses for his sims, staging whole worlds with his action figures, and copying cartoons off a how to draw vhs tape. his grandmothers were the ones who taught him to look at art, and to notice the little details everyone else walks past. the strict private schools he went to didn't have much room for a free spirit, so he learned to make things quietly, in his room, and keep them to himself.

for years, the art came out sideways. as a teenager he made movies: skate videos, a full length jackass style film, and a senior project he wrote, shot and edited himself. at uc santa cruz, where he earned a degree in psychology, he taught himself guitar on an old one he borrowed from his grandfather and started making music, which he still releases as the painted road and exactly fine. he started drawing again too, but kept it a secret. then came a five year detour into corporate america.

in the spring of 2020, at 32, he picked up a paintbrush for the first time and finally said out loud what he'd known since he was a kid: he's an artist. he shared his first post on instagram that august. self taught, he learned by studying the artists he loved, basquiat, warhol, kusama, banksy and dozens more, down to their lives, their materials and their entire catalogs, until it all blended into a style of his own.

today hodges paints, draws, collages, and builds sculptures and assemblages out of found objects, thrift store finds and things most people would throw away. his work is loud with color and full of animals, flowers, monsters, numbers and otherworldly creatures, and it carries a simple message: embrace life's vibrant colors, nurture your inner child, celebrate what makes us different, and notice the overlooked. his studio rules say the rest: don't try. don't be cute. so what? let the seams show. the unseen matters.

since 2020, his work has appeared in group shows around the bay area and in the oakland art library. in june 2023 he had his first solo show, "of the neighborhood: collected sculptures," at uma gallery in oakland: sculptures built from discarded everyday objects. in 2024 he showed three pieces in an exhibition designed to be experienced by people with visual impairments. he is one of the artists represented by curina, has been interviewed by voyager and salon exit, and has made commissioned work for collectors and a clothing brand. his work lives in homes around the world. he is based in the bay area with his pug and two cats.