Phoenix S. Brown: "And All I Know Has Vanished Again"

"And All I Know Has Vanished Again explores the tension between the seen and unseen, the physical and the psychological, the real and the symbolic. Through acrylic paintings on canvas and plastic, alongside drawings, mirrors, and soil, Phoenix S. Brown constructs a landscape where personal mythologies unfold, shaped by serpentine forms, symbolic gates, and shaped canvases.

Hands reach and grasp, marking acts of agency and surrender, while grids and fences suggest both protection and limitation. Symbols, drawn like sigils, function as personal wards, imbuing the work with a quiet but potent power. Urban landscapes emerge in fragmented glimpses, intertwined with organic elements—rivers, tornadoes, and sunspots—traces of movement and transformation that reflect the instability of psychological space. An imagined still life of a crystal ball hints at what lies beyond the present, while sumac, fire, and shadow evoke cycles of renewal and decay.

Among these works are what Brown describes as…