Travel is a liminal space – a space in which all appears possible as it exists in a process of change. What appears to be movement between point A and point B is in actuality a transition between evolving states of self. By no coincidence has traveling occupied an esteemed position in both Western and Eastern philosophic thought. An undertaking of a solitary journey signifies a volition to evolve, to cleanse a cluttered consciousness in order make room for intra-personal growth. By extension, to be denied the ability to travel is experienced as an act of violence against the human spirit. It imprisons the soul in a decaying carcass of obsolete sensations, which then becomes a source of suffering.

Brandl’s personages, unlike us in this particular place and time, are free to travel and indulge in this particular kind of liminality. Their bygone elegance invites the viewer to immerse themselves in the painted snapshot and experience the state of ongoing change. These characters appear disconnected from each other, yet in deep internal turmoil. We meet them at points of high tension within their individual narratives that exist with no introduction, nor conclusion. In such manner, the viewer may resonate with their state of suspension and, though their dramatic conflict, reach a state of catharsis.

Go back