Brandon Vargas

Chattanooga, TN tour

October 2024

Brandon Vargas is a Denver-based painter, sculptor, and muralist and is currently an Alto Gallery resident supported by the Redline Satellite Studio Resident program. Brandon has been shown in solo and group shows around the CO, including at Dateline, Redline, Art Gym, Alto Gallery, Bell Projects, and Emmanuel Gallery. Brandon received his BFA in Fine Arts from CU Denver in 2018.

Brandon also serves on the board of two arts non-profits, La Serra and Denver Digerati. 

About Brandon’s Ode:

In this ode, I had really wanted to articulate the band principles of asking for help and humility. I had felt as though the band members welcomed me into their world and were so patient with me in understanding the everyday barriers that ADA inaccessibility creates.

The forms and figures in this work are simplified and abstracted, with no distinct faces as I had wanted to express the diversity of bodies and people while also speaking to the light within all of us that desires connection and community. To me, venturing with the band is one of the strongest expressions of community as everything is a group effort and requires cohesion and group understanding to maneuver the challenging circumstances of the world.

The semi-transparent hands above the figures convey this desire for connection, and although red and blue are often viewed as opposites in our culture, the use of purple in the background and the articulated frame motif in the painting seek to suggest that they are blended. What is initially viewed as different, is in fact, the part of the same whole, nodding to our shared humanity and needs that is found upon talking with one another and each person's experiences.

The arch motif is taken from the entrance to Sleepyhead Coffee in Chattanooga. This was a memorable place to me as we had been walking for a little while around the city before stopping there, and it was one of my favorite days. The coffeeshop stuck out to me as a memorable location because we had so much fun getting there and getting drinks that afternoon while exploring the city together was unforgettable.

The white net in the background of the painting expresses the need for the safety net of community, and how that net is something created by the community itself, through hard work and support. The heart motif is an expression of my own heart throughout the trip, which I felt had grown and swelled multiple times throughout my time with the band.

It was truly an impactful trip, and I treasured every moment.