BECALĒLIS BRODSKIS
AKA EXISTENTIAL SITCOM

The WORK
Working within the tradition of artists as mystic fools
With the training of a craftsman and the freedom to do it how I dreamed it when scribbling.

Making art is a form of relationship with the everyday: people, plants, animals and objects. If it is to be authentic, is there any choice but to start from our own experience? Hence, much of my work is autobiographical, observing the mundane and the extraordinary. Inspired by passing conversations, drawing on sacred traditions and iconography, and attentive to what might remain unseen, the work I make engages with shared socio-political and spiritual concerns, unravelling the paradoxes of experience and the absurdity of being alive with the humour of tragedy.

My work does not easily fit into one category. A life with too many interesting tangents to create straight lines. It's closer to a jigsaw mixing fact with fictionalized autobiography.

Alongside my studio practice in film, sculpture and drawing, I extend my work through mentorship, teaching and participatory projects.

Current Project
The Mulberry Tree:
And the taste of its fruit
In the Alpujarras of southern Spain stands a mulberry tree.

Coiled amongst its branches is a silkworm dragon,

Breathing a golden thread.

Tasting the fruit of this mulberry tree is why the project began


dragon home page head 02
You are invited to take part.
A film that evolves from :
  • A participatory map of the golden thread
  • A series of workshops with mulberries
  • A creative ritual of the imaginary

Bringing myth and the unseen into the socio-political realities of our time.

Click on the links for more information or to support the project
Snippets of the production journey can be seen at @existentialsitcom. BECOME A PATRON — SUPPORT THE PRODUCTION MORE INFO ON THE MULBERRY TREE PROJECT
My work
What I do
Film, Stone carving, Prints Ritual mapping

My films span autobiographical documentary, experimental film and animation. Subjects include dance, mysticism and heritage. Moving between documentary  and fiction. Working across different methods of hand-drawn and digital animation, film and video. I take on different roles according to the project, from directing and producing to editing and c mentorship. My own films have received international recognition, including the FIPRESCI Prize at Oberhausen and selection for Sundance, alongside animation.  produced for Channel 4’s

Animate and consulting for BAFTA-nominated and Oscar-winning directors.

Watch  Films

Originally trained in fine art sculpture, I started with ceramic and bronze works inspired by my childhood in Morocco and an interest in the symbolism of anatomy. Funded by the Prince’s Trust, I then undertook a traditional apprenticeship with master stone carver Jonathan Roberts, developing my practice as a letter and decorative stone carver. I have undertaken commissions through Memorials by Artists, creating carved memorials and headstones in English churchyards, alongside my particular love of early bas-relief, with commissions for collectors across Europe.

I am an anti-draftsman. I have drawn all my life, yet it can still take me three days to study a face and get anywhere near a likeness. But perhaps that is the point: drawing is a way of thinking, not just observing — a way of revealing what often lies hidden. I am interested in perspective, but photography freed me from the need to reproduce reality. Drawing is a journey of discovery like no other, and can open an extraordinary doorway into the soul. Drawings become the groundwork for illustrated books and graphic novels, some of which have been turned into award-winning films. Printmaking, usually through etchings and monoprints, has recently returned to my work since my mother gave me her printing press.

I am interested in mapping not simply as a way of describing a place, but as a way of discovering portals with in time and space. My PhD explored the relationship between matter and memory, drawing on the philosophy of Henri Bergson and the psychogeography of Guy Debord. This developed from my participatory mapping work with Re-imagine Your Town, into experiments with perception, place and memory. I became fascinated by creating portals between seemingly unrelated points in space — using golden thread as a ritual connection between them. Mapping becomes a way of revealing the relationships, stories and unseen energies that shape how we experience a place.

For over 30 years, Bec has taught students and emerging artists, animators and filmmakers. He has lectured at leading universities and headed departments, including Animation at London College of Communication and Plymouth College of Art. He has also led participatory projects and community workshops.

As a mentor, Bec has worked with leading animation directors, including BAFTA and Oscar-winning directors.

If you’re interested in beginning your creative journey, a masterclass or mentorship, send me an email.

Contact

Contact me to discuss working with me. Be it as a Patron, student or participating in a project

  • brodskis@gmail.com
  • Between sunrise in the east, setting in the west