In the late nineties, Joey Bradley settled in New York where his subject matter shifted from landscapes to abstraction with the intention 'to inject a bit of irony '1 into his work, as the artist explained. Bradley's style soon crystallised in a series of 'Modular' paintings comprised of monochromatic rectangles assembled in anthropomorphic shapes. While producing these geometric totems, Bradley simultaneously continued his drawing and painting practice, establishing a dialogue with his monochromes that culminated with his Schmagoo Paintings. Despite the ostensibly reductive and nonfigurative aspects of his work, Bradley's biomorphic forms and symbols consistently produce a sense of familiarity. His black silhouettes of dancing figures, abstract oil compositions featuring overlapping colours and shapes, and more recent Cave paintings-made up of blocks of coloured oil stick applied to exposed canvas-continue to evince his characteristically expressionistic and rudimentary aesthetic. Evolving like a chameleon painter in a range of styles, Bradley has also begun recently to experiment with figurative forms in sculpture.
1 – Joe Bradley, interview with Eric Troncy, FROG, Fall-Winter 2014-2015
