Brutalwares

Bio

BrutalWares is a North-East UK-based acrylic painter whose work is rooted in a fascination with Brutalist architecture, concrete surfaces and the overlooked beauty of the built environment.

Working with a focused visual language of walls, shadows, geometric structures and weathered materials, BrutalWares explores the character of concrete as both subject and surface. His paintings often strip architecture back to its essential forms, allowing light, shadow, texture and scale to carry the atmosphere of the image.

At the centre of his practice is a desire to challenge common perceptions of Brutalism. Rather than treating concrete as cold, hostile or purely functional, BrutalWares presents it as something rich with detail, mood and visual possibility. Cracks, stains, shadows and rough surfaces become points of interest, revealing beauty in places that are often dismissed or ignored.

His work also carries a quiet sense of nostalgia and isolation. In paintings inspired by structures such as the Apollo Pavilion in Peterlee, bold architectural forms sit alongside carefully chosen objects, creating scenes that feel still, reflective and slightly surreal. These elements connect his interest in Brutalist architecture with a wider atmosphere shaped by memory, solitude and the aesthetics of everyday life.

Through his ongoing exploration of concrete, BrutalWares invites viewers to look again at the buildings and materials that surround them. His paintings find warmth, humour and visual pleasure in the mundane, opening up a conversation about why Brutalism continues to divide opinion, and why its raw, uncompromising forms can also be deeply compelling.

BrutalWares was selected for the Baltic Open Submission 2024 at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, and has continued to develop a distinctive body of work around Brutalist architecture, concrete texture and urban space.