Mark Bradford

Painter Mark Bradford, whose work was included in the 2006 Whitney Biennial, creates large-scale collages that fuse the art-historical traditions of Minimal Abstraction and Arte Povera with an interest in pop culture, urbanism, aesthetics and geography, creating richly layered works that recall the visual energy and experience of life in the city. Bradford's recent collage work expands his use of materials to include those found in the streets around his Los Angeles studio--such as billboard remnants, flyers and posters--reflecting his interest in the intersection of commerce and culture. Born in Los Angeles in 1961, Bradford has work is in the collection of the Tate Gallery, London; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Brooklyn Museum. He was included in the seminal Freestyle show at New York's Studio Museum in Harlem in 2001, and he is represented by Sikkema Jenkins & Co. Text by Steven Nelson, Assistant Professor of African and African American art history at UCLA.