There's something a little bit magical about Mark Brazier-Jones: he exudes the dual energy of a Renaissance alchemist and steampunk druid, his works look like they originate from some sort of arcane wunderkammer. His sculptures are striking yet whimsical, esoteric yet familiar, radiating a cryptically cabbalistic yet grounded aura: sharp angles and occult symbolism are entwined with coarse, earthly metals and scintillating materials, copper and crystal, iron and velvet. Ahead of his latest exhibition, Where Do I Begin at Secteur Privé (accompanied by the artworks of Mario Velez, Marcus Dove, and Talia Golchin), Brazier-Jones discusses his artistic journey with Fetch London, from crafting visuals for '80s pop promos to sculpting narratives from unconventional materials today.
Images via JPR Media
Brazier-Jones's artistic evolution began amidst the dynamic landscape of pop promos in the eighties, where he honed his skills crafting visual spectacles. However, the transient nature of the pop promo industry left him creatively unsatisfied, prompting a shift from studio sets to the raw expression of welding scrap metal sculptures on the doorstep of his Notting Hill Gate residence. "My friends, Tom Dixon and Nick Jones, were organising illegal warehouse parties." recalls Brazier-Jones. "I would join in with them for fun. Doing things like cutting up cars with angle grinders and welding supermarket trollies into birds. It was a kind of action happening thing to go with all the music and mayhem. They were crazy times. We decided we would try a pop-up show of welded scrap artifacts."
Embracing the unconventional, he, alongside Dixon and Jones, founded the Creative Salvage movement. Their endeavors embodied a spirit of rebellion—a symphony of music, mayhem, and innovative design. "We called ourselves Creative Salvage and wrote up a manifesto describing our belief in a radically different sideways approach to design. We invited people to the shows and surprisingly the exhibitions were sell-out successes. The colour supplements got hold of us and herald us as vanguards of a new movement."
“The mathematics of vibration and geometry is in fact a language. It is the language of truth.“
And vanguards they indeed were: the success of Creative Salvage marked a pivotal shift for Brazier-Jones. Joined by André Dubréil, a French antiques expert and trompel'oeil artist, the movement evolved. Dubréil introduced historical context, influencing Brazier-Jones to delve into archetypal imagery and symbolism from diverse cultures and religions. "In this time, I discovered my voice." says Brazier-Jones. "I moved away from just using scrap metal components as my ingredients to gathering archetypal imagery and symbolism from around the planet."
Collectors worldwide gravitated toward his work. His clientele reads like a who's who of creative elites — fashion, film, and music royalty, alongside international entrepreneurs. His current exhibition at Secteur Privé unveils experimental works from the past seven years, born from an exploration of light, sound, and sacred geometry. These pieces, he suggests, could be seen as machines attempting to bridge the third dimension with the morphic field. "In this exposition," he explains. "I use and demonstrate the resonant tone of 528 hz and sacred geometry to make a collection of devices: technologies for personal alchemy." In Where Do I Begin, he is accompanied by three other painters: Mario Velez, Marcus Dove, and Talia Golchin. "Each of their works are personal explorations each in their own way reaching into their subconscious drawing information through from the other side." explains Brazier-Jones. "This very much is the task of the artist we are as though explorers. We must go through to the other side and bring back trace elements and clues. We must start the words to the next question."
Mark Brazier-Jones' journey is one of artistic metamorphosis—a continual exploration of self, material, and the cosmic forces that shape creativity. "I feel I have simply been a conduit for the manifestation of these artifacts, and my hand has been guided by a separate force." he explains. As visitors engage with his work, they too become participants in this ongoing narrative, inviting them to transcend the ordinary and connect to the separate dimensions that his work communicates with. "It is as though my higher self or subconscious has been gathering ingredients and set them in my future in readiness."
Where Do I Begin runs from November 25th to December 22 at Secteur Privé, Portland Place.
Victoria Comstock-Kershaw is an arts writer and editor for Fetch London.