Troy Brooks is an artist living and working in Toronto, Canada. Blending mannerism and pop art with a surrealist narrative, Troy’s women present an elaborate pageantry of characters observed in allegorical settings. These women play out intimate scenes through a detailed visual language. They are usually caught in moments where something transformative has or is about to happen. Since his first exhibition in 2010, Brooks has been producing a prolific gallery of characters, culminating in 6 sold out series.
“I paint women because, for me, they are ultimately the most visually lyrical subject and to be honest I relate to women much more than I do men. Always have. When I was a teenager I used to spend all day in the town library pouring over books about silent movie actresses. I loved the prostitutes in Van Dongen and Otto Dix paintings. I was obsessed with the 1930’s drunken Parisian lesbians in Brassaï photographs and the “bitch goddesses” from 40’s film noir etc. I amassed quite an extensive collection of old photographs. I made endless drawings of these women. One thing that used to drive me crazy was that I always made the faces too long. It was something I used to have to go back and fix in my drawings. When I began creating my own characters I decided to just accentuate it.” – Troy Brooks (Baited Hook Handmade)
