Born in Cologne, Germany in 1988, B.D. Graft currently lives and works in Amsterdam (NL). After completing a bachelor degree in film studies and a masters’ degree in English literature at the University of Amsterdam, Brian De Graft devoted himself to art and quickly distinguished himself with his playful drawings that evoke universally recognizable worlds.
Through compositions in oil pastels and charcoal, his painting as well as ceramic sculptures, he captures the innocence and joy associated with the drawings of our childhood. Yet beneath its apparent simplicity, the artwork serves as a reflection on the preservation of nature and the environment while conveying the artist’s own emotions and preoccupations with the human condition. Still lives, interior scenes, and the plant and animal world are recurring themes in his work, which ultimately seeks to celebrate life in all its forms.
B.D. Graft is quickly developing an international reputation. He has had exhibitions in Paris, New York, Miami, Seoul, Shanghai, and Berlin while his work is held in esteemed international collections such as the Niarchos Collection, the Queen Rania of Jordan Collection and the Sarah Andelman Collection. His work is also held by the Iris Art Realm museum in China.
Recent solo and group exhibitions include: Inner Worlds, Double V Gallery, Marseille, France (2023); Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?, NBB Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2023); Salon PAN Amsterdam with maison Ruinart, The Netherlands, (2022); A modern way of letting go, Everyday Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium,(2022); A moment, curated by Thom Oosterhof Projects, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2022); Bees and other important things, curated by Tiago de Abreu Pinto, Double V Gallery, Paris, France (2021)...