US sculptor Austen Brantley exhibits at CICA Museum in Gimpo
American figurative sculptor Austen Brantley sits with some of his artwork. Courtesy of Austen Brantley
By Bereket Alemayehu
American figurative sculptor Austen Brantley takes inspiration from artwork across many eras, from Mesopotamia and ancient Greece to the Gandharan period and African artistic traditions.
“I feel like there's a lot of intention and spiritualism put into the craftsmanship of the work, and it's all saying something,” he said.
A self-taught artist, he discovered sculpture when his ceramics teacher recognized his ability during his junior year at Berkley High School in Michigan. He has maintained a full-time professional studio practice since 2014, and he has made over 3,000 sculptures. His emotionally resonant sculptures explore the figure as a vessel for memory, identity, mythology and collective history. His sculptures are recognized for their introspective expressions, dynamic compositions, tactile surfaces and carefully developed patinas.
“My figures often occupy quiet psychological spaces,” he said. “Their expressions and postures are introspective, allowing the viewer to encounter them slowly rather than through a single, fixed interpretation. I am interested in the tension between strength and fragility, and in the way a figure can appear both physically grounded and emotionally suspended.”
"Mountain (Bronze Edition)" (2025), a limited edition full-size bronze casting, original design from 2023 / Courtesy of Austen Brantley
His ambition, however, is not to reproduce ancient forms. Instead, he wants his sculptures to occupy a space between the old and the new, works that feel contemporary while carrying traces of ancient visual languages.
“Sculpture is starting to lose some of that imagery, and it's also starting to lose the symbology,” he explained. “I want to put it back into my work. I like my work to feel very modern, but also ancient in that type of way.”
His practice includes intimate studio works, portrait busts, exhibition sculpture and large-scale public monuments. Brantley has completed public commissions for cities, universities, museums, memorial organizations and cultural institutions across the U.S.
Brantley’s relationship with materials is also tied to history. He works primarily with ceramics and bronze, materials that carry thousands of years of human experimentation and cultural expression.
Austen Brantley / Courtesy of Austen Brantley
For Brantley, that history gives the materials a particular weight.
“There’s so much that we've done with them in history,” he said.
He is especially fascinated by the history of bronze casting and lost-wax casting.
His exhibition history includes the 2023 Journey of Ceramics International Ceramic Art Biennale in Jingdezhen, China, as well as the London Art Biennale and numerous American exhibitions.
Brantley’s work frequently examines archaeology, restoration, sacrifice, ascent, remembrance and the emotional legacy carried by the human body. He views the body as an archive capable of holding personal experience, cultural history, inherited memory and emotional transformation.
"Collective Ritual" (2026), ceramic and wood stain on metal base / Courtesy of Austen Brantley
A selection of Brantley's work will be presented at the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA) Museum in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province from Aug. 19-23, as part of the "Circle 2026 (Part.1)" international exhibition. Museum hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Wednesday to Sunday.
When asked about his expectations for exhibiting his art in Korea, he said that he always hopes for the best.
“I feel like it's very important for me to have an exhibition with a very open mind,” he said. “This was a major opportunity that the museum offered; they looked at my work, and they saw value in it and asked me to share it. And I see that as a huge opportunity to see and to learn about how my work is viewed and see its impact on a more global scale.”
Visit austenbrantley.com or cicamuseum.com for more information.
Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He’s also the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative, and a freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.