Brian Cooper
cooperkazan@gmail.com or earthlikeplanets@gmail.com
Education:
MFA 2002 Studio Art University of Southern California
BFA 1995 Studio Art San Francisco Art Institute
Awards/ Honors:
2009 West Prize Acquisition Finalist
2000- 2002 USC Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award
Exhibition Record:
2023
“No Time Like the Present”, Praz-Delavallade, Los Angeles, CA
“Things Thinking”, Rory Devine Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
Nomad 2, Torrance, CA
$400 Show, Rory Devine Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
2021
“Funhouse: A Celebration of Los Angeles Painting”, Rory Devine Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
2019
“Does and Donaughts” curated by Christina Leung, White Columns, New York, NY
“Dream House v.s. Punk House”, Serious Topics, Los Angeles, CA
“Group Show”', LAVA Projects guest curation, Berlin, DE
“Artist Book Show” Big Pictures Los Angeles guest curation, Berlin, DE
“Artist Book Show” Big Pictures Los Angeles , Los Angeles, CA
“Kamikaze show” curated by Barry Markowitz, Post @MiM gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“A Store Show”, Odd Ark LA, Los Angeles, CA
“Final Show”, Big Pictures Los Angeles , Los Angeles, CA
2018
“Tiny Men on Tits and Friends”, Chimento Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
“Fresh Start”, Lava Projects, Los Angeles, CA
L.A. Zine and Art Book Bazaar, Museum as Retail Space, Los Angeles, CA
Independent Art Book Fair, Los Angeles, CA
8 Ball Zine Fair (LA Pages Fair), Los Angeles, CA
“Edge of Today”, Launch LA, Los Angeles, CA
“Divided Brain”, Lava projects, Los Angeles, CA
“Brian Cooper and Tim Rogers” SB Valley College, San Bernardino, CA
2017
The Hut at Cape Royds, Startup Art Fair, Hollywood
“Far Bazaar”, Cerritos College, Los Angeles, CA
Faculty Show, LACHSA, Los Angeles, CA
Faculty Show, SBVC, San Bernardino, CA
2016
The Hut at Cape Royds, Satellite Art Show 2016, Miami Basel
Scope Miami, BG Gallery, Miami, FL
“Sleepless: The Music Center After Hours at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion”, Los Angeles, CA
How High, Left Field Gallery curated by Ryan Travis Christian, San Luis Obispo, CA
Consort, Artshare LA, Los Angeles, CA
La Estacion Arte Contemporaneo, Chihuahua Me
LABo por Venezuela, Carlos Blanco Studio, Bogota, Columbia
2015
Forgetting The Future- Entropy in the Reflective Age, Torrance Museum of Art, Torrance, CA
Head Space, 2 person show with Tanya Batura, Jaus Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Ducks L.A., Curated by Ryan Travis Christian, Minotaur Projects Space, Los Angeles, CA
6H to 8B Artists who draw in Los Angeles, Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Hysterical Friction: Works on Paper from JAUS LA, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Brooklyn, NY
2014
Dirty Minds: Life on Earth, curated by Thomas Kidd, BG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
i:23 Yokahama Triennale, curated by Kio Griffith, Tokyo and Yokahama, Japan
Ducks, curated by Ryan Travis Christian, Greenpoint Terminal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2013
Archaic Revival,curated by Dani Tull, Zic Zerp gallery, Rotterdam, NL
Print Room, the Archaic Revival Review, Rotterdam, NL
Art Bands Showcase, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
2012
Fuel for the Fire, Temporary Space and Human Resources LA, Curated by Dawn Kasper,
New York, NY
Holodeck, Post Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Against The Grain Charity Auction, Mark Moore Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Faculty Show, Vincent Price Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Faculty Show, Clara and Allen Gresham Gallery, San Bernardino, CA
2011
Urban Construction, Art Gate Gallery, New York, NY
Nothing to Say, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Incognito, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA
T-shirt revival night, Outpost for Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Breaking New Ground, Outpost for Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Cities: Visionary Places, curated by Camilla Boemio, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
2010
Show 2, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Incognito, Santa MonicaMuseum of Art, Santa Monica, CA
Woodie, the Attic, Art Los Angeles Contemporary Art Fair
Depthless, Stadler and Waldorf, Los Angeles, CA
2009
Friends of Sky, Circus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
West Prize Exhibition, The West Collection, Oaks, PA
Next Art Fair, The West Collection, Chicago, IL
Lovable Like Orphaned Kitties and Bastard Children, Green Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
Back Yard, Sam Lee Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
On the Down-Low, The Attic, Los Angeles, CA
Invite, Circus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2008
Cosmos Factory, curated by Brad Eberhardt, Cirrus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Affordable Art Fair, NY, NY, Sam Lee Gallery
Some Paintings, L.A. Weekly Biennial, Track16 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007
Intersection, sponsored by the Andy Warhol Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
2006
Dynasty, Gallery MC, New York, NY
Concrete, Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
Stars on Vine, Aiden Riley Taylor Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005
New Work, San Bernardino Valley College Art Gallery, San Bernardino, CA
Quickening, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson, AZ
2004
Project room, Sweeney Art Museum at UC Riverside, Riverside, CA
High Anxiety, Gallery C, Los Angeles, CA
LA Raid, de Parrel, Amsterdam, NLD
Southwestnet: Phx/LA, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Phoenix, AZ
2003
Meltdown, Acuña Hansen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Unnatural, Raid Projects, Los Angeles, CA
Halloween Show, Practice Space, Los Angeles, CA
2002
Comfort Control, Raid Projects, Los Angeles, CA
Selected Collections:
The Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, Los Angeles, CA
The West Collection, Oaks, PA
The Marriott Hotels Collection, Los Angeles, CA
Bibliography:
Electronic Sound Magazine, December 2024
Artillery Magazine, September 2023
Hi Fructose, January 2023
Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles, Nov. 2021
KCRW, Nov. 2021
Hi-Fructose, Sept. 2021
Hi-Fructose, March 2021
Hi-Fructose, May 2020
Art and Cake, June 10th, 2019
Art and Cake, December 1st, 2018
Art and Cake, January 27th, 2018
Daily Serving, Fan mail: Brian Cooper, March 2017
Be-Art Magazine, March 2015
Fabrik Magazine, April 2015
Hi-Fructose, July 2014
Sick Of The Radio.com, Studio Visit: Brian Cooper, Feb. 20th, 2013,
Beautiful Decay, November 6, 2012,
Juxtapoz.com, Jan. 3rd, 2011, preview of nothing to say at Guerrero Gallery,
Booooooom.com, Jan. 14th, 2010, Jeff Hamada,
Beautiful Decay, “Book 3”, Spring 2010,
Sycamore Review, issue 22.1, Spring 2010,
Rojo Magazine, ®kyoi, breach dynamics, Sept. 2009,
Beautiful Decay, May 19th, 2009 Fei Liu,
Drawn.ca, June 4th, 2009,
Artillery Magazine, Nov./Dec. 2008, vol. 3 issue 2, Cosmos Factory, Carrie Patterson,
Artweek, Dec. 08/Jan. 09, vol.39, issue 10, Cosmos Factory, Mathew Timmons,
Cantanker, Excess, Issue 5, “Enhanced Interrogation of Brian Cooper” Sp. 2008,
L.A. Weekly, Jan.11th-17th 2008, Some Paintings, Track 16 Gallery,
New American Paintings No.73, Dec. 2007, The Open studios press,
Press Enterprise, Feb.28th, 2005, New Work, SB Valley College Art Gallery,
San Bernardino Sun, Feb. 21st, 2005, New Work, SB Valley College Art Gallery
UC Riverside Highlander, April, 2004, Project Room at Sweeney Gallery
Robotsinlove.blogspot.com, December 09, 2004, American Gothic
Arizona Republic, 5/16, 2004, PHX/LA at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art Arizona
Sentinel Let’s Go! June 2004, PHX/LA at Scottsdale Museum of Contemp. Art
Scottsdale Republic, 4/28 2004, PHX/LA at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Java Magazine, May 2004, SouthwestNET: PHX/LA
ArtScene, May, 2003, Meltdown at Acuña Hansen, Los Angeles, CA
Artweek, April 2003, Unnatural at Raid Projects, Los Angeles, CA
Bio
Brian Cooper is an artist and musician whose work delves into the interplay between consciousness and the material world. Many of his paintings, drawings, and sculptures employ trompe l’oeil techniques that playfully challenge perceptions of reality, offering a vivid exploration of the tensions between the mundane and desires for the transcendent. Through elegant, detailed imagery laced with humor and an uncanny edge, Cooper invites viewers to reimagine their relationship with the physical and metaphysical.
For over three decades, his art has evolved through many forms. Currently, Cooper’s focus is on evocative paintings of curtains and modular synthesizers. Layered with metaphor, these works invoke themes similar to the Hindu concept of maya, suggesting time and space as illusory constructs that veil deeper truths. Recent works push boundaries further—abstracted bodies intertwine in ways that feel both intimate while combative and feral, curling pages of obsolete phone books echo critiques of modernity, where efficiency erodes meaning and connection. His improvisational drawings bring forth surreal, irrational objects shaped by ideas from science and philosophy, while a dreamy series investigates the nature of three-dimensional space with blue grids on white cushion-like forms.
Early works juxtapose stylized depictions of torsos, void-like clothing, and tufted upholstery patterns to probe the mind-body connection; while paintings of imagined monumental sculptures and fragmented wooden structures metaphorically comment on consciousness's drive to construct their sense of reality.
Born in San Francisco, Cooper’s artistic vision is deeply influenced by California’s legacy of psychedelia, surrealist humor, and the ethereal quality of Northern Renaissance painting. Beyond his visual art, Cooper channels his creativity into music under the moniker Earth Like Planets, crafting improvisational, loop-driven compositions with lyrics rooted in psychology and philosophy.
Cooper’s work has been widely celebrated, appearing in Le Monde, Electronic Sound, Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, Booooooom, L.A. Weekly, and New American Paintings, among others. His pieces reside in prominent collections such as the West Collection (Philadelphia), the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, and the Marriott Hotels Collection.
He has exhibited nationally and internationally at esteemed venues like White Columns, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Praz-Delavallade, and Odd Ark, with shows spanning Berlin, Japan, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Colombia. A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute (BFA) and the University of Southern California (MFA), Cooper studied under luminaries like Ken Price and Jim Shaw. Cooper is based in Los Angeles.