- This event has passed.
Drury Bynum I Monument Sotheby’s International Realty I Art Gallery Event
May 18 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Please join us on Thursday, May 18th, from 4-6 pm at our Village of Cross Keys Office & Gallery to enjoy the work of Drury Bynum.
Growing up in the deep south, Drury Bynum’s only exposure to art was watching his Aunt make oil paintings of Louisiana swamp scenes in her tiny studio by the kitchen. Her ability to summon rich and detailed worlds by hand seemed like magic to him, prompting him to begin drawing and painting on his own. His public school had no art program, so he became proficient at drawing faces and figures from magazines, comics, and album covers.
Bynum left the South to attend MICA in 1988. There, he explored the techniques of alla prima painting and drawing figures, portraits, and landscapes. He later shifted to narrative themes, using collage as a way to construct new worlds. The traditional approaches of working directly from life, married with modernist techniques of
experimentation and subjective experience were key factors in Bynum’s artistic development.
In 1997, Bynum received his Master’s Degree from Bowling Green University. His thesis exhibit, a body of large-scale works of backyard scenes featuring brides, photographers, and Baltimore row-houses, revealed a mature stylistic identity. The scenes were colorful, visually dense moments that contained enigmatic narratives that continued to appear in Bynum’s work in the following years.
The technological shift happening around the internet and the sudden availability of affordable video cameras shifted Bynum’s focus onto filmmaking in the mid-2000’s. He created his own production company specializing in innovative, narrative short films for brands. He made several documentaries focused on artists and entrepreneurs, anticipating a cultural trend for cinematic, behind-the-scenes looks at a creative class that would eventually become today’s influencers. His work as a film director won several awards including Addys, Tellys, Hermes’ and an Emmy nomination.
In 2016, he returned to narrative painting, collage, and portraiture. Another technological wave brought Ai to Bynum’s attention in late 2022. It was clear to him that this would have an immense impact on the art world and he tuned in closely to the controversy. He recognized Ai as a potent tool that can create opportunities for artists, but it needs imagination and guidance from artists in order to produce culturally significant work.
Drury began incorporating Ai into his own process, iterating on compositions that he then brings into the studio to deconstruct or to take in new directions as physical pieces. He believes the speed and quality of Ai provide a collaborative fluency that is absent of the friction of physical materials. This type of interaction can be immensely fruitful and full of wonder.
Bynum’s work is characterized by a unique blend of traditional techniques and unusual approaches, resulting in pieces that are both visually striking and conceptually rich. As he looks to the future, Bynum is excited to see where his artistic journey will take him and is committed to using his talents to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of art.