Brian Jerome

Brian Jerome was born in York, Pennsylvania, in 1990 and raised in Dallastown, Pennsylvania, next to a cornfield. In 2008, he moved to Philadelphia to pursue a BFA in Printmaking with a double minor in Philosophy and Art History. In 2017, he was awarded his MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts on a merit scholarship.

His work has been exhibited and collected internationally, including in the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the UK.


Artist Statement

The work speaks for the artist’s inability to properly express anything linguistically, verbally, or conversationally outside of visual representation. The artist allows the viewer to determine their own judgment and interpretation of the work.

I do not consider my work to be about trauma, but it is based around it. Writing artist statements has always been difficult for me. I previously thought I had to be academic and philosophical to create an open-ended and inviting approach for an audience.

I consider my work to be about life and my experience as a human. It is an abstract, diaristic approach to discussing things I find difficult to be vulnerable about.

In 2010, I fell five stories through an abandoned building and was left in a medically induced coma for ten days. When I woke up, I learned that I had almost died, my femurs were broken, I had lost all hearing in my right ear, and the last ten days of my memory were hallucinations. That experience resulted in complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder alongside my previously diagnosed Bipolar II disorder.

I found abstraction as a way to comfort and process these experiences. Painting and mixed media became a mindful approach to dealing with overwhelming thoughts. I know I am not alone in navigating the confusing nature of life. In fact, I consider myself lucky compared to the suffering that others endure. However, I cannot ignore the fact that we all face hardships, no matter how big or small.

My hope is that my work serves not just as my own diary and therapy but as an invitation for discussion—so that each of us can acknowledge that life is difficult and often even harder to explain.


brianjerome.com