Mikael Brandrup

Mikael Brandrup, also known as Mikael B or "KETS", is a Danish visual artist, graphic designer, and entrepreneur who lives in Los Angeles.[1][2] Mikael B has exhibited at galleries in Europe and the United States such as Taglialatella Galleries,[3] Gregorio Escalante Gallery,[4] Corey Helford Gallery,[5] CASS Contemporary,[6] WYN317[7] and Gabba Gallery.[8] He works in both the fine art world and in the urban contemporary genres.[9][10][11]

Mikael Brandrup
(Mikael B)
Mikael Brandrup at SLS Brickwell AWAKE
Born (1984-06-05) June 5, 1984
Holbæk, Denmark
Occupation(s)Artist, Designer
Notable workVibrant World, Floating Worlds, Dynamic World, Safe Haven (Phillippe Starck sculpture)
StyleAbstract art
MovementAbstract expressionism, graffiti, urban contemporary
Websitewww.mikael-b.com

Early history and graffiti

Brandrup grew up in Holbæk, Denmark and went to Københavns Tekniske Skole to study graphic and web design.[12] Although he was always attracted to traditional painting, Brandrup started to work in graffiti lettering when he was 15 years old, installing wood panels in his parents' backyard and covering them with his graffiti name KETS.[13]

Design

In 2008, Brandrup, his twin brother Morten Brandrup and Mickie Storm founded a design agency called Identity Provided, specializing in visual communication, branding, web design and corporate campaigns.[14] Over the course of six years, they created the visual identity for several major companies, including Steen & Strøm Department Store and Chiquita Brands International.[15] In 2014, Identity Provided merged with a large parent design agency in Copenhagen called MeyerBukdahl so Brandrup could devote more time to his fine art.[16]

Murals and commercial installations

In his murals and commercial installations, Brandrup combines the wild style lettering and shapes from graffiti with the graphic sensibility of design, making compositions that are "vibrant and playful yet structured in form."[17] Brandrup attempts to find order and structure within the abstract universe in his work and has attracted the attention of major corporations in the process.[18] He has worked on projects with American Express, LinkedIn, Heineken, Google and Nike, who hired him to paint a 10 x 10 canvas on the Santa Monica Pier surrounding their launch of NBA player Chris Paul's line of sneakers.[19] Brandrup has exhibited his canvas work worldwide and in 2016 had a solo show at Ren Gallery entitled "Dream State" that coincided with World Art Day.[20]


Collaborations

Thomas Fryd

Mikael Brandrup has collaborated with other artists, including Danish photographer and director Thomas Fryd. For their multimedia show titled “Emerging Alchemy,” Mikael B and Fryd worked together on 15 paintings and two sculptures.[21] Fryd took surreal photographs of dynamic human activity, which Mikael B transformed by printing on canvas and adding layers of spray paint and acrylics in his signature style.[22]

Bumblebee

Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Bumblebee and Mikael B met at an art show at Corey Helford Gallery. As a street artist, Bumblebee is associated with figurative designs, razor-sharp stencils, and a controlled color palette, whereas Mikael B, more aligned with graffiti, is known for his unformed shapes, vibrant colors, and wild-style lettering. The artists decided to collaborate on a series of murals, blending their disparate aesthetics in unexpected ways.[23] The first of these three murals was on an 80 ft wall in South Central LA; the second, a private commission at Google’s headquarters in Santa Monica; and the third, an outdoor wall at The Container Yard in the Downtown Arts District, was photographed for the Los Angeles Times.[24]

Lonely Whale

Mikael B teamed up with the non-profit organization Lonely Whale, founded by Entourage actor Adrian Grenier to raise funds for ocean conservation. The exhibition “Awake” opened at SLS Brickell hotel in tandem with Art Basel Miami on December 7, 2017, and was dedicated to raising awareness of plastic pollution’s impact on aquatic life. Lonely Whale benefited from 100 percent of sales, as well as from the online sale of a limited edition print conducted through the artist’s website. At the opening reception, Mikael B and Adrian Grenier unveiled Mikael B’s custom-painted Philippe Starck duck sculpture on the SLS hotel rooftop.[25]

References
  1. "»Dansk design gør mig stolt«". jyllands-posten.dk. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
  2. Staff, VoyageLA. "Meet Mikael Brandrup of Mikael B. Design in Hollywood Hills - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  3. Dambrot, Shana Nys (25 February 2019). "Meet an Artist Monday: Mikael B." L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  4. "Mikael B explores a "Reality Shift" @ Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles". www.juxtapoz.com. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  5. "Corey Helford Gallery - Shows - Show Detail". www.coreyhelfordgallery.com. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  6. "Colors Lines Layers". Cass Contemporary | Tampa Art Gallery. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  7. "wyn317". wyn317. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  8. "GABBA GALLERY-Remix". GABBA GALLERY. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  9. Berlingske, Anne Funch (17 February 2016). "Fra Holbæk til Hollywood: Sådan endte kunstneren Michael i USA med de største navne som kunder". www.bt.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  10. "Gulddreng i Hollywood: Danske Mikael maler for Google og Nike - MX.dk". Metroxpress - nyheder fra MX.dk. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  11. MØLLER, Solle (4 October 2018). "Spraydåserne førte ham til drømmeland". jyllands-posten.dk. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  12. "Current Exhibition". Ren Gallery. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  13. "Art | Artopia | 2015". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  14. Stevens, Anise. "Emerging Alchemy debuts the Collaborative Efforts of Thomas Fryd and Brandrup at Project Gallery - Life In LA". lifeinla.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  15. "Graffiti-kunst verden rundt fra Brabrand". stiften.dk. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  16. "Fra Holbæk til Hollywood: Sådan endte kunstneren Michael i USA med de største navne som kunder". www.bt.dk. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  17. "Art | Artopia | 015". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  18. Brandrup, Mikael (5 June 2014). "Art and Seeking: Talking to Mikael Brandrup". Art and Seeking (Interview). Interviewed by Lizy Dastin. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  19. "Graffiti-knægten fra Holbæk, der fandt sin plads i Hollywood". www.b.dk. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  20. "Dream State - Soft Opening at Downtown Art Walk". Downtown Art Walk. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  21. Stevens, Anise. "Emerging Alchemy debuts the Collaborative Efforts of Thomas Fryd and Mikael B at Project Gallery - Life In LA". lifeinla.com. Life in LA. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  22. Dambrot, Shana (15 May 2015). "7 Great Free Things to Do in L.A. This Week". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  23. W, Lauren. "Remember #bumblebeelovesyou". Castanier Gallery Store. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  24. Vankin, Deborah. "Google goes street: L.A. launch party celebrates public art". latimes.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  25. "Mikael B Solo Show "Awake" at SLS with Lonely Whale". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.


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