Joseph Brocke

Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta in 1984 Brocke was exposed to creative practice and artistic thinking from a very young age. Art remained an interest and pastime until 2006 when Joseph was admitted to the BFA program in the Department of Art at the University of Calgary. Over the past five years at the institution his practice has grown to include drawing and printmaking, although his focus has remained predominantly on painting.

Brocke's work centres around two closely linked themes. His interest in the subtle spirituality of everyday life is very closely intertwined with an exploration into the development and recollection of memories.

"The way that I view the world and the significance I attach to even the most simple moments has always felt like the manifestation of spirituality in its most personal and basic form. The objects, places or people that I remember in a passing moment are those that carry the most emotional resonance, heightened importance for me personally."

His work is intended to act as a form of meditation, asking the viewer to contemplate not only the visible forms but to concentrate upon their emotional reaction to the tone of the work. Through this emotional reaction, the abstracted (and in some cases representational) forms represent the vagueness with which the brain builds, rebuilds and recalls a moment in memory. The forms and tones also act as a framework upon which the viewers own memories can be projected.

Memory #2 - 2011
mixed media; ink, dry pigment, gesso and acrylic medium on panel, 42 in x 48 in