Too Much to Hold Artist Talk

Too Much To Hold is an exhibition that features the work of Milwaukee based interdisciplinary artist Brianna Cole. Cole’s work begins as a response to everyday emotional states—nervousness, decision anxiety, and the unstoppable passage of time and is rooted in digital processes, primarily using Procreate and Photoshop alongside 3D modeling software such as Blender. The events and situations that are featured within her work sit heavily in the heart and the mind, moments that become difficult to hold alone. Rather than attempting to banish discomfort, Cole creates images that make space for it, offering these feelings a place to land and settle. In this way, the drawings and paintings act as acts of care toward the self and toward emotional survival.

Cole received a BFA in Animation from Ball State University and is currently pursuing an MFA in Studio Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.