The Crazy World Of Francisco Brennand
Picture an artist and sculptor being given a gigantic space in which to let his imagination run riot. Imagine if that space was a disused factory set in substantial grounds with endless opportunities for indoor and outdoor exhibition, and if that sculptor was given enough time to create over 2,000 items in an isolated world of fantasy. And finally, imagine if that guy had a mind full of wild ideas way beyond the norm.
Welcome to Oficina Brennand and the life’s work of one Francisco Brennand. First, some context and history. The factory in question, with its many brick built industrial buildings and wide open grassy spaces in between, was originally a thriving tile and brick factory run by Francisco’s father, Ricardo. Ricardo himself was of Irish descent, from an emigre family who had found wealth by marrying into the family of owners of the local sugar cane plantation. Ricardo added brick and tile to the family empire in 1917.
Recognising talent in the teenage Francisco, Ricardo sent him to Paris to study ceramic skills, an environment which encouraged the younger man’s flair and lead him to admire the works of avant garde artists such as Picasso and Miro. By 1971, the big factory had fallen into disuse and Francisco, now 44 and enjoying a burgeoning reputation in the artistic world, saw an opportunity to unleash his atypical skills on the biggest of blank canvasses.
Inside the factory
Our first glimpse of Brennand’s work was at the quayside in Recife, at the Parque das Esculturas (Sculpture Park) on an offshore reef in Recife’s port district, but it’s at the old factory, the Oficina, where Brennand really plays tricks with your mind.
The 2,000+ sculptures are as random as they are weird. Several themes persist: faces turned upward towards the sky, animals, eggs, fruit and marine life, but it is distortions of the human form which are consistently surprising. Is that the neck of a pitcher, or an upturned leg complete with stilettos? Is that a pair of crossed legs, or a winding serpent attacking its prey?
Yet as we wander through this strange insight into one man’s wild and crazy imagination, there is one overbearing, unmissable theme: phallic and ribald symbolism. Many, many sculptures, even many of the upturned heads, take on the shape and form of a penis, female statues sport exaggerated breasts with oversized nipples. Brennand doesn’t shy from the boldest of provocative statements either, with pubic triangles and graphic representations of female genitalia regular features on the misshapen, distorted human forms.
Are some of these a little too graphic?
And then, suddenly, as if intending to shake us from fantasy back to reality, Brennand presents some beautifully ornate tile work and a stunning floor mosaic. Then wander outside to find yourself amidst Egyptian influenced concepts with sphinxes and goddesses, then walk down Romanesque colonnades with a re-imagined Neptune or a malformed Venus. The sheer size of the place is amazing, the content, and the amount of content, takes the visitor on a surreal trip around the corners of Brennand’s mind. You don’t forget your visit to Oficina Brennand in a hurry.
More of the sculptures
One final twist at the end of our amble around this remarkable place: an acoustically perfect warehouse where guest artist Ernesto Neto has, among other things, hung drums with drumsticks from the high ceiling on lengthy ropes. One is invited to indulge. I don’t know whether the surreal Brennand experience triggers a need to release energy, but I find myself bashing out the drum line from Cozy Powell’s “Dance With The Devil” with manic vigour and energy, creating ear bashing echoes off the sturdy walls and filling the building with sound. It is ridiculously and deliciously satisfying.
As we stand in the hot sun waiting for the Uber back to the city, we feel like we’ve just left Planet Earth for a couple of hours.
21 Comments
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
What an amazing venue; the re-purposing is terrific.
Phil & Michaela
Messes with your mind!
Toonsarah
What a totally bizarre collection, but a great setting for it!
Phil & Michaela
One of the more offbeat art collections we’ve seen!
Travels Through My Lens
He certainly was creative and had an overactive imagination. The drum room looks amazingly fun!
Phil & Michaela
Too right it was!
Monkey's Tale
We saw the sculptures in the park in Recife, but walking through a huge building filled with them would have been a very strange. 😊 Maggie
Phil & Michaela
It was an odd but interesting place.
wetanddustyroads
Francisco was a busy guy – with a very interesting train of thought! One can think/say many things about his artwork, but one thing we can probably agree on is that he was definitely not lazy! Give me that drum!!
Phil & Michaela
Definitely not lazy!
grandmisadventures
What a cool experience to step inside this weird/fun/creative/beautiful dreamscape of his and escape reality for a little while. After all that, who wouldn’t want to bang on that drum 🙂
Phil & Michaela
He had a very interesting mind!
WanderingCanadians
Oh my, that’s quite the collection of sculptures! He must have had a big imagination!
Phil & Michaela
Indeed he must, more than a little offbeat!
Alison
Amazing, where’s the video clip of you playing? What a fantastic find, would love a wander through here, but happy to wander through your photos.
Phil & Michaela
A very unusual place, Ali. What a strange mind he had.
leightontravels
Mm, love this. What a fantastically unique man, history, site, body of artwork, the whole package. This would be right up our street, I have to admit. There are elements of it that make me think of The Black House (Baan Dam Museum) in Chiang Rai, Thailand. I think we’d be stuck here for quite a while picturing all these fabulous pieces, though I can see why many might be turned off. And you know, in these troubled times I can’t help but feel that leaving Panet Earth for a while is no bad thing. ‘Phil Bangs the Drum’, it’s only the song The Stone Roses should’ve written.
Phil & Michaela
We were amazed when we realised we’d been there for two hours. I couldn’t stop wondering where artists like Brennand get their offbeat ideas from.
Annie Berger
Aren’t we travelers so, so lucky to have such remarkable experiences like you did at Brennand’s off-the-wall place! Never heard of Brennand before so thanks for the introduction to such a creative mind.
Phil & Michaela
We are indeed – creative AND strange, I would say!
Annie Berger
You’re so right!