I can go to my own opening, and the security guard will tell me that I have to go to the security entrance. Mark Bradford More Quotes by Mark Bradford More Quotes From Mark Bradford I look at art as a container. You can't get inside it, so you have to ask all of these questions. Mark Bradford insidelookyouart I'm kind of an insecure artist. I hop from piece to piece. I always think my life depends on every painting. Every painting is my first painting. Mark Bradford my-lifethinkpaintinglife I don't look at things in black and white. There are big gray areas. There's a lot of slippage. Mark Bradford lookblack-and-whiteblackwhite In the neighborhood where my studio is, in South Central Los Angeles, there are a lot of immigrant-owned businesses. I'm constantly amazed at the level of work they do. It's above anything. For me, I think I pattern myself on that work ethic. Mark Bradford myselfthinkmework I don't know why we, in the art world, cannot unpack things and sort of make hybrid notions of a practice. We're very rigid. It's funny, though; in music, we have no problem sampling, mixing and remixing. But in the art world, why can't we take little parts of history and mix it together? Mark Bradford musicfunnyhistoryart I just like artist-driven projects, but for artists themselves: artist spaces, artist mentor programs, and artists buying buildings and making lofts. Doing whatever we can do. Because at the end of the day, I really think that we as a community only have each other. Mark Bradford end-of-the-daydaythinkcommunity I don't know why so many artists talk about the mainstream's problems from the fringe. I think, unfortunately, it's almost like our education makes us too safe and terrified to step into the world. Mark Bradford problemsstepeducationworld If Home Depot doesn't have it, Mark Bradford doesn't need it. Mark Bradford home-depotneedmarkhome When I was thirteen, I was in a supermarket with my mother, and for no reason at all, I picked up a science-fiction book at the checkout stand and started reading it. I couldn't believe I was doing that, actually reading a book. And, man, it opened up a whole new thing. Reading became the sparkplug of my imagination. Mark Bradford manimaginationmotherbelieve Everything I do has an underlying political question. Mark Bradford questioneverythingpolitical I fell through the holes in the educational system. But education is still a way to change a life. Mark Bradford changeeducationlifeway I just follow the things I'm interested in. That's always guided me. If I'm interested in something, that's where I go. Mark Bradford followthingsmealways The freeways create economic and racial borders in Los Angeles. South of Interstate 10 is one group of people, west of the 10 another, and south of the 405 North yet another. Mark Bradford racialcreategrouppeople I don't believe in blanket statements on race. Mark Bradford statementsblanketracebelieve I've always been inspired by small details that make me wander. My mother would ask me, 'What are you looking at so intensely?' I would answer, 'Everything and nothing.' She really supported my wanderings, called me Marco Polo. Mark Bradford lookingmeyoumother In the city, you're always looking around, observing everything. In some neighborhoods, your life can depend on it. The details change constantly. Mark Bradford cityyouchangelife About the time I was 7, I got really into black-exploitation films, so I made my own Wonder Woman, but I made her black. Mark Bradford womanmy-ownblacktime
