Let's talk about our favorite things, let's talk about art. Although, I guess I should be a little bit more specific. No, we won't be talking about the history of art. At least not today. Instead, I want to talk to you about a pair of brothers who choose to create art together. The Connor Brothers, similar to the Peverell Brothers, were given a gift. Except their gift was not bestowed to them by someone in a tall, dark cloak named Death. Instead, the gift they were given was the ability to create art.
The brothers claim to be Franklyn and Brendan Connor who grew up in California within a controversial Christian group called "The Family," which by many sources were considered a cult. Similar to Fred and George Weasley, the Connor Brothers are also a set of twins. Due to their upbringing, they were deprived of many things from the outside world which later brought them towards their passion, art. Around the age of sixteen the brothers ran away from home and eventually settled in Brooklyn, New York. Their minds were curious to learn about the things that they had been deprived of. This encouraged them to discover the world as we know it and to learn from it and study it. They would share their individual findings with each other via drawings in sketchbooks which would result in them creating art and discovering their passion for it.
However, after much research, that's not their true biography. You see, the Connor Brothers love stories and keeping people reeled in with interesting and strange details. Their "story" is merely a persona they created to make themselves a tad more interesting. So, Franklyn and Brendan Connor are nothing more than fictional characters you see. You might be asking yourself, "then why did they lie?" Well, you see that's part of their artistic project. The pair enjoy blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
So, who are The Connor Brothers, really? They are none other than two men called Mike Snelle and James Golding. They happened to be two art dealers from London. The pair used to struggle with depression and addiction which led them both to use their creative thoughts to shield the truth of their struggles. This outlet was a form of therapy for them, a coping mechanism you could say. Thus, their art was created from this source. Their art is an extension of their blurred lines between fiction and reality. As Snelle once said in an interview with Medium, "Who knows the truth about anything?" For the Connor Brothers, reality is nothing but an opportunity to challenge it with a bit of fiction.
Let's see what we'll talk about next time. This is Camila signing off on today's art column. I hope to see you during next month's art column to learn about more amazing artists, art pieces, or art techniques.
They are from Maddox Gallery& art created by The Connor Brothers.