OUR 'FLUID' COLLAB WITH BRIAN VU

Artist Brian Vu first caught our attention with his digitally manipulated, warped photos of Nicopanda's runway show for FW16. Looking further into his work, we saw such a beautiful variety of projects ranging from album covers to editorial to art pieces. He's even photographed Hari Nef for The New Yorker. For MORTALS' first collection, we were lucky to have Brian do a shoot with our Liquid Metal printed pieces (take a look here). Scrolling through his website you can see the progression of his work and the different aesthetics he's played with. Our personal favorite is Spirit Power Song, with its theme of red, blue, and flesh with projected messages - which inspired us to reach out to him for a collaboration on our second collection.

We gave Brian the dictionary definition of the word "fluid" as an adjective and he created a floating, multidimensional text with a glow for us to print on our fabrics. This message seemed to fit perfectly with our brand's philosophy because it signifies the sense of freedom that can be obtained when we reject society's gender norms and embrace a more fluid identity and openness for experimenting and experiencing all facets of ourselves. It even resonates with those who don't identify as gender-fluid because we're all striving for the ability to flow like water... whether we do that through dance, art, or simply allowing ourselves to evolve. We're loving how the final product turned out and excited to share a little more about Brian. Check out our interview with him below to get to know this unique artist!

Our print collaboration with Brian:

Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you? 

My name is Brian and i'm a multi-media artist living in New York City. I grew up in Orange County, California.

What stimulated your interest in photography and art, and is it something you studied or are you self-taught?

It's all I've ever known, the one consistent thing in my life is my love for creating. I studied graphic design as a means to make a career in a more commercially viable art form. When I figured that I reached my maximum potential with it, I decided to pick up the camera. Design didn't come as natural to me as photography did, but I don't regret studying it. The elements I take to build an image are similar to the ones I think about while creating graphic design. For example: color palette, symmetry vs. asymmetry, negative space, communication… When it comes to photography i’m self-taught.

What are your biggest influences?

My influences are constantly changing. One thing i’ll be influenced by forever will be the queer community here in New York.

What are you into at the moment? 

Sunsets! For me it represents transitions in life and the passing time taken in order to heal. 

Since we're a genderless brand, what are your thoughts about gender? 

I believe everyone is entitled to live the way that makes them feel the most beautiful about themselves. 

Anything coming up that you're working on or looking forward to? What would your dream job or collaboration be?

I’m looking forward to making more personal work this year. A project i’m excited about doing is creating a monograph book of the last five years of work i’ve made. And my dream job... would be to photograph our galaxy!

Below you can check out some of our favorite images from Brian Vu's portfolio:

Published: May 2018