Brendan George Ko b.1986 in Toronto, ON raised in Ontario, New Mexico, Texas, and Hawai’i.
“I have lived amongst the yuccas and coyotes of New Mexico. I have surfed with the craziest sons of bitches I have ever met during my time in Texas. I grew up on the outskirts of Toronto, ON, and lived half my life moving throughout America, with endless road trips, and faces of so many, dear human beings. I see every photograph I take as a document; a document of a memory, a document of a person; a time and place, a feeling and a trace (of something that once was, something worth remembering).I am creating and recreating a history of all that I am, with words, and images, so that I can remember beyond my memory, for a record of being.”
Inspired by a life of travel, Brendan treats each photograph as document of a memory, person, time or place. The saturated hues and bright lighting of many of his photos highlight the emotional intensity of selected moments. Treating every series he undertakes as part of one lifelong personal project, Brendan captures, “something that once was, something worth remembering.”
Brendan’s personal approach to photography is evident in the variety of themes represented in I, god only made one of me. Photographing everything from dogs in sunglasses and serene sunsets to tourists and young couples in isolated locations, Brendan is contributing to a portfolio of work that he believes will allow his memory to exist after the demise of his physical being.
[…] Brendan George Ko is a visual storyteller that works in photography, video, installation, text, and sound. His work is about conveying a sense of experience through storytelling and describing it. In 2010, Ko received his BFA from Ontario College of Art & Design where he majored in photography, and in addition he practiced sculpture and curation. During his time in the Visual Arts program, at the University of Toronto his practice shifted into video and sound with the guidance of Kim Tomczak. […]