Brantly Sheffield: metaFORE
May 24, 2025 - June 28 2025
Press Release
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Coming soon.
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About the Artist
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Brantly Sheffield (b. 1991, Edmond, OK) is a Dallas-based artist whose paintings and drawings explore the complexities of identity, relationships, and the emotional landscapes that define human experience. With a BFA in Illustration from the Kansas City Art Institute (2014) and an MFA in Painting from Boston University (2017), Sheffield has cultivated a distinctive style that merges the intimate with the universal. His work often combines exaggerated and distorted figures that act as metaphors for the fluid and contradictory nature of identity.
Through bold use of color, form, and texture, Sheffield’s compositions reflect the interplay between how we are seen, how we want to be understood, and the world around us. His subjects are rendered in ways that push the boundaries of representation, creating visual cues that ground his figures in their surroundings while also expressing the absurdity of reality itself. His work is a personal exploration of intimacy, transformation, and belonging, where each piece acts as both a reflection of his own life and human condition. Sheffield has shown his work in national and international juried and curated exhibitions, with solo shows such as Bricks and Mortar (2015) at The Late Show Art Gallery in Kansas City and It Was a Good Time (2023) at RO2 Art in Dallas. He was an artist-in-residence at the Cedars Union in Dallas (2020-2021). His work is currently represented by RO2 Art Gallery. Originally from Edmond, Oklahoma, Sheffield discovered his passion for art in high school, and after graduating, he moved to Kansas City in 2010 to attend the Kansas City Art Institute. His journey continued with an enriching experience studying fresco painting and art history in Florence, Italy, before moving to Boston for graduate school. Sheffield currently lives in Dallas, Texas, with his boyfriend and creates work that challenges notions of self, identity, and the world we inhabit. |
show statement
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MetaFORE draws a cheeky parallel between two elite worlds: contemporary art and golf. This exhibition takes a swing at the highbrow dynamics of gallery and museum spaces, alongside the country club and golf course—both serving as exclusive sanctuaries for the privileged few. It exposes the not-so-glamorous behind-the-scenes of consumer buy-ins—whether through purchasing overpriced art or splurging on a country club membership—and how both art and golf quietly ravage their surroundings without anyone batting an eye.
Here, artists become the geese, and their art becomes shit, with the golf course serving as the ultimate “natural” habitat. The exclusivity of these spaces creates an illusion of ownership, not just over culture, but over the land itself. As art turns into a commodity and golf courses guzzle environmental resources, this exhibition humorously interrogates the balance between luxury and ecological responsibility. MetaFORE is a caustic commentary on the intersections of commerce, nature, and elitism, offering a wink and a nod to the absurdity of it all. Through a self-deprecating lens, it also reminds us that artists are the lifeblood of these spaces—but these spaces change on a dime, often to the detriment of the very creators who help sustain them. By highlighting the art world’s commodification of artists and the environmental toll of nine-hole indulgence, this installation challenges us to reconsider our participation in these exclusive realms while offering a sympathetic view of the artist’s precarious position within them. Ultimately, MetaFORE prompts its audience to reflect on the privilege embedded in both art and golf, acknowledging their humor, absurdity, and ecological irresponsibility. The artist, like the goose, is often an overlooked contributor to these spaces—yet they continue to nourish, transform, and sometimes get shit on in the process. |
artist statement
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My work is a deeply personal exploration of the relationships and narratives that shape my life. I make paintings and drawings that merge the intimate with the universal, using the tension between drawing’s intimacy and painting’s depth to capture the complexities of human experience. Each composition explores not only the likenesses of the people in my life but the emotional landscapes that define them—often infused with a sense of humor that mirrors the absurdity of reality itself.
The figures in my work are exaggerated and distorted, acting as metaphors for the contradictions and fluidities of both personal identity and the world around me—one that is often shaped by negotiation, transformation, and the play between different selves. There is constant interplay between who we are, how we are seen, and how we want to be understood. Nature, life drawing, and a rich vernacular of color, shapes, forms, and textures interweave throughout my compositions, creating patterns that reflect both my subjects and the world they inhabit. Vivid elements often act as visual cues, grounding my figures in their surroundings while pushing against the boundaries of representation. They are integral to the way I see the world, a world where identity is never fixed but instead fluid, layered, and constantly shifting. My paintings and drawings are an exploration of my identity, the relationships I navigate, and the ways in which these intersect with nature and human connection. Each piece is a part of my life, but it is also a larger reflection on the complexities of identity, intimacy, and belonging. |
Installation Images
Coming soon.
