MEET THE ARTIST

 

Brandon Sines as a child

The passion and desire to make art started for me as soon as I could hold a crayon. My work represents the notion of mystical connections, striving towards a greater good and having fun while you do it.

- Sines

Painting by Brandon Sines - Nature Drive - Frank ApeNature Drive | 36 x 72 inches | mixed media on canvas

    Born in 1986, Brandon Sines was exposed to many cultures while growing up simultaneously in New York City, Toronto, and Los Angeles. Shortly after moving to New York City in 2010 to pursue art, Brandon serendipitously combined his use of mythological creatures, pop icons, and made up characters into a new character called Frank Ape.

     The success of Frank gave Sines the ability to work intensively as a full-time artist in New York City for the past ten years in which he has developed a visual language that is raw, mysterious, and playful.

Frank Ape and Brandon Sines in the studio - Photo Justin AversanoPhoto: Justin Aversano Sines and Frank in the studio, Astoria, NYC

     He mixes Pop Art’s mass culture, Surrealism’s private associations, and inventive paint handling to create dreamlike environments. His mark making ranges from experimental techniques to illustrative precision. Parts of the paintings are crystal clear, and other parts reach abstraction. This juxtaposition gives the imagery in his paintings the feeling of being recalled from memory, whether it is a personal or a collective memory is sometimes elusive to determine. These paintings were recently featured in a book about his work called Lips and Drips.

Read more about Brandon's work in the essay "Running Down A Dream" from Lips and Drips.

 

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Frank Ape mural at the World Trade Center100+ foot installation at the World Trade Center.

Recently Sines was awarded a massive installation at the World Trade Center, hand painted murals around New York City, and had a series of works featured on Link NYC’s digital Kiosks as part of #ArtOnLink. He recently collaborated with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to officially celebrate Guggenheim’s 60th Anniversary with two Frank Ape themed pieces. His work is collected worldwide.

Community, creativity, and self-expression are core values in Sines’ Frank Ape art.

     Frank is no doubt an extension of Sines, but more importantly Frank is an extension of all living things. Helping others helps everyone.

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Frank Ape from Brandon Sines on Vimeo.