Kat Brandao
BIO
Ever since I can remember, I have been attracted to the unknown. A big part of my childhood in Brazil was spent with what the eye could not see and the mind could not explain. Dualities, the spiritual, and the otherwordly have always fascinated me. My background in analytical psychology and the influences of dreams and the subconscious are constant themes. My paintings are not planned, they emerge intuitively. Each painting comes from a different moment, space, emotion, and feeling. Each experience, object, and concept that has caught my attention—consciously or not—influences my work. To me, the beauty of abstract art lies in the eye of the observer and the infinite possibilities of experiencing it
RECOVERY FROM HELENE
As a result of Helene, I lost my studio, all of my art supplies, and most of my large work from the past year, including two doors I had recently painted. These losses, particularly the destruction of my art studio, have presented some challenges that I am approaching creatively, such as working from my small apartment on a 36 x 60 inch panel.
To me, the full impact of Helene is still unfolding in those of us who have lived through it, in our community, and in our beautiful Asheville. Like kintsugi (the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold) and Leonard Cohen’s famous “Anthem” line, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in” remind us, unexpected beauty can be found in the resilience of the human spirit. Beauty is healing, and the way art can move us is a confirmation of that.