He was born in Canada by a Norwegian mother and Danish father and had two younger brothers. He grew up in Tromsø, Northern Norway and received his diploma from Kolding School of Design in Demark. This mixture might have lead to the childish world of the Canadian-Scandinavian artist Shane Brox.
Shane speaks Norwegian, a soft and slow Northern Norwegian. The parents wanted to give their first-born son a name that did not stand out in British Columbia, hence the English-sounding name.
To enter Shane Brox’ inner world is to be transported to the mental freedom of childhood where the aim is for curiosity, creativity, and trust to take center stage. The author and multi-media artist has more than 20 creative books under his belt.
His father was a cabinetmaker. His mother had a fashion business in Tromsø. While his classmates played football, Shane played the piano and took singing lessons. He listened to classical music and played. He preferred to play alone, because there were few who were able to accompany him into the enormous play universes he built up in the mountains in Tromsdalen, both physically and in their imagination.
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Do you ever wonder what would come tumbling out from your true self if you really took down your defenses? If you dared to shed your armor, stand emotionally naked and vulnerable and revert to a state of a pre-conditioned, non-judgmental and more authentic self? This is the on-going process that Shane Brox explores with his ethereal, soft sculptures created from recycled foam, acrylic paint and vintage textiles.
In one of his books, you meet 12 creatures whose roots go back a long time. Some of them are more than 2000 years old. Back then, monsters were a natural part of our reality. They gave us a language and helped us to understand some of the emotions that dominated our everyday life.
The little boy with glasses and the English name was a slightly different figure in Tromsdalen. He is also slightly different as an adult in Copenhagen. To enter Shane Brox’s inner world is to be transported to the mental freedom of another dimension based on instinct, creativity and acceptance. Here, a strange and unpredictable universe opens up, surrounding the exhibition visitor in a sensual whole. In his works consisting of trippy, comical, creepy or just beautiful creatures, Brox draws on references from both surrealism and psychedelia to folkloric art and plant-like organisms. Sound, sight, touch and even vibration play their parts in this other world which is an emotional celebration of this inner universe.
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“There was a lot of storytelling,” says Shane. “I could build up my own universe for several weeks, universes that were about war, destruction, life and death. There were great epic tales.”
The use of the subconscious as a catalyst is a technique which has, among others, been used by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois but also by earlier surrealists such as Picasso and Miró in their search for the unspoiled. In his work, Brox consciously uses intuition as a method.
“I feel most balanced and find inner peace when I allow myself to follow my artistic impulses without overthinking or falling into self-doubt – when I dare to just create without having to debate at length with myself whether it is good or not… This is my biggest challenge: to just be the best version of myself that I can be in each moment, both the good and the bad ones, and to trust and surrender to the process.”
Feelings like anger, fear, sorrow and glee are all real, even the uncomfortable ones. And space should be given to all of them, as it allows us to show how we really feel.
Well into his teens, Shane Brox loved building and drawing detailed houses. With secret rooms. By refusing to give in to fear and by letting go of control, Brox sets the stage for emancipation – and that in this liberation one discovers new, genuine aspects of oneself. Even if most of us don’t believe in vampires and dragons, we still create monsters when we don’t talk about our feelings. Then we create inner monsters. When we are hiding things, monster-large emotions develop in us and between people – just like in the old days.
After nine years as a designer for Levi’s, the corporate world became a bit too overwhelming, and he wanted to start over for himself. He got the idea for “The magical cookbook – a cookbook for wise children and childish adults”. The mother’s and grandmother’s cake recipes from Northern Norway became magical recipes with new names. Then the ball started rolling. In 2006, he was asked to make children’s television
Shane has since published numerous children’s books as well as developed Shanes Verden (“Shane’s World”), a series of programs on DR Ramasjang (a children’s channel on the Danish Broadcasting Corporation). Most recently, Brox has exhibited at Christiansborg and Kronborg Castle.
The nerve and driving force of his work have always been to inspire children and adults to trust and listen to their inner voice.
“Children should experience that the adults take time for them. I remember how nice I thought it was when I was little. It is hugely important for children,” he says.
The Childish World of a Canadian-Scandinavian Artist, reported by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top) © KuBe