Brian Singer

Photo credit: Rob Villanueva

Best known for his thought-provoking work, Brian Singer is a multimedia artist who challenges conventional perceptions of objects and cultural symbols.

Singer’s work often delves into the complexities of human connection, communication, and societal dynamics. Some of his more highlighted work, like The 1000 Journals Project and TWIT Spotting (Texting While In Traffic), received international attention. The 1000 Journals Project was turned into a feature-length documentary, a book, and exhibited at SFMOMA and the Skirball in Los Angeles. Singer also had recent solo shows at the Torrance Art Museum and the Thacher Gallery at USF.

This month, we interview Brian about the evolution of his practice - from sharp social critique to more personal explorations of identity and belonging.

In What the World Needs Now Is… you present new bodies of work—like “Color-by-Number” takes on race, masculinity, patriotism and interactive installations. What shifts in your thinking or practice led to these new explorations compared to past shows?

A lot of my work is based on events happening locally, or nationally… how we’re behaving as humans. So you’d think my work would shift more over time, but as a lot of activists have put it “I can’t believe I still have to protest this shit”. We’re still fighting the same battles, over and over. That said, the works dealing with my own mixed heritage (I’m half Japanese, half caucasian) are a new thing for me. I’ve always been more of an observer or spectator, rather than doing work that’s intensely personal to me. The big shift there was when my mother passed about 5 years ago, it led me down a path to examining who I am, why I am the way I am, and how who she was and her experiences shaped me.

More generally, your work tackles complex social topics such as gun control, religion, and homelessness. How do you care for your mental well-being when you spend so much time working in heavy or uncomfortable subject matter?

I’m not sure I do. Maybe because I focus on things as an observer a lot of times (I’ve never been unhoused, I’ve never been pulled over by a cop and feared for my life), that’s my way of distracting me from, or dealing with other issues in my life. I don’t know, just spitballing here. I do think there’s so many issues, and the world is pretty fucked up right now… it’s hard and it’s likely going to get worse. Maybe making the art itself my therapy, the way I deal with the world.

If there were no resource constraints, what would you make?

Oh, I have a long list of ideas. To me, it’s less about a specific project, and more about the scale at which I can work. When I look at Ai Weiwei, what’s amazing about his work is not just his story, but his ability to work at such a grand scale. I mean, his piece “Straight”, where steel rebar that was salvaged from schools that collapsed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake was all straightened by hand… that was like 150 tons of material. So, basically just making my ideas bigger and more impactful.

In the Brian Singer Retrospective in 2095, which one piece of yours should be the centerpiece of the show and why?

The one that led to world peace? The one that solved poverty? The one that taught people critical thinking skills? The one that gave power to the people rather than the rich? Probably one of those.

Brian's solo exhibition, What the World Needs Now Is…, is on display at the Thatcher Gallery at the University of San Francisco August 11 through November 9, 2025.

For more information on Brian's work, visit his website.