Brandon Sadler: The Path of Totality
Overview
Storytelling, Ink-Painting, and East Asian Art Forms Build New Worlds
The Path of Totality is an ongoing episodic narrative series made up of figurative and calligraphic works that reflect Sadler’s diverse passion for storytelling, ink painting, and East Asian art forms. By adapting shufa, the art of Chinese brush character writing, he transforms the gallery into an immersive journey of mastering a medium through the Three Perfections: poetry, painting, and calligraphy.
Inspired by Sadler’s passion for world-building that combines calligraphy with figurative painting, The Path of Totality explores a mythical universe inhabited by beings who can cultivate cosmic energy and create realities through written language. With several newly created paintings by the artist, Chapter One – Bathed in Shadow specifically investigates the concept of supreme love, an all-encompassing and ever-expanding force that permeates everything beyond space and time.
Brandon Sadler: The Path of Totality is curated by Maya Brooks and organized by the North Carolina Museum of Art. This exhibition is made possible, in part, by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc.; and the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment for Educational Exhibitions. Research for this exhibition was made possible by Ann and Jim Goodnight/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fund for Curatorial and Conservation Research and Travel.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Brandon Sadler is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) with a BFA in Illustration. Sadler is renowned for his calligraphy, public murals, and performance art. In addition to contributing to fine arts institutions, he has partnered with several major brands and commercial ventures, including a feature in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther film series.
Installation view of Brandon Sadler: The Path of Totality, photo by Bosha Novart.