Artist Bio

Brian Singer, also known as Someguy, is a San Francisco based fine artist whose studio practice and large-scale public projects address a variety of social justice issues. With a meticulous rigor and legibility informed by his experience as a graphic designer and visual communicator, Singer’s work invites critical engagement through surprising juxtapositions of media and wordplay. Ranging from intimate works on paper to international participatory projects, Singer’s practice is unified by the desire to facilitate unexpected moments of human connection.

Recent public projects include an 84 foot mural at Salesforce Transit Center comprised of almost 2,000 individual stencils (each with at least one match) reading, “You Are Not Alone;” as well as a text-based installation commissioned by the Bernal-Mission Merchants Association reading, “There’s no place like,” on a 50 foot chain-link fence surrounding a fire damaged lot. Singer is best known for his “1000 Journals Project,” a participatory global art exchange that has been archived in a book, and feature length documentary, exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and covered by The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Better Homes and Gardens among others.

As a designer, Brian created work for Apple, Adidas, SFMOMA, Facebook, Chronicle Books and many others. Recognized with numerous awards and publications, he has also served as the president of the San Francisco chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, and taught at Academy of Art University.

Artist’s Statement

I explore the printed word as a visual representation of information, attempting to uncover new meaning in what is becoming an outdate form. Crossing out the entirety of a written text while exposing only selected words changes the perception of the original message. Revealing word frequency adds another layer and opens new paths to understanding. Focusing on the edges of book pages, and the patterns discovered when cutting through written texts, creates an entirely different view of the once familiar object. By deconstructing books and reassembling them, I seek to breathe new life into millions of hidden words, sentences, and stories.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Brian received his BA from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Solo Exhibitions

2019 Ignorance is Strength, B&W Projects, San Francisco, CA
2018 Between the lines, 1888 Center, Orange, CA
2016 Spotlight Gallery, Napa Valley Museum, CA

Public Projects

2019 You are not alone, Salesforce Transit Center, San Francisco, CA
2019 Privacy Policy, stARTup Art Fair, San Francisco, CA
2019 Us & Them, Public Square, YBCA San Francisco, CA
2017 There’s no place like, MBMA, San Francisco, CA
2016 Home Street Home, MEDA, San Francisco, CA

1000 Journals Exhibitions

Scottsdale Public Art, March 1—May 30, 2012 
Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles October 5, 2010—February 26, 2011
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, November 1, 2008—April 5, 2009

Group Exhibitions

2021 ARK, SFAI San Francisco, CA
2021 Uplift / Heavy Lift, Berkeley Art Center, CA
2021 The Art of the Book, Seager / Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
2020 Cut Up/Cut Out, Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA
2020 Cut Up/Cut Out, Massillon Museum, Massillon, OH
2020 Cut Up/Cut Out, Lamont Gallery, Exeter, NH
2019 Pour the line, Abacus Row / re:riddle, San Francisco, CA
2019 48 Pillars, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2019 Of Method and Material, Slate Contemporary, Oakland, CA
2018 re:home, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA
2018 140 Characters, Root Division, San Francisco, CA
2018 Salon at the Triton, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA
2018 Urban Edge, Avenue 12 Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2018 Cut Up/Cut Out, Ellen Noel Art Museum, Odessa, TX
2018 Paperworks Refolded, City of Brea Art Gallery, Brea, CA
2018 The Art of the Book, Seager / Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
2018 Cut Up/Cut Out, Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola, FL
2017 Cut Up/Cut Out, Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL
2017 Text Me, Museum of Design Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
2017 Cut Up/Cut Out, Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA
2017 Renegade Fiber, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Marin, CA
2017 Alternative Facts, Works Gallery, San Jose, CA
2016 Cut Up/Cut Out, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
2016 Be careful what you vote for, popUp Gallery, Alameda, CA
2016 In Sight On Sight: Beyond Function, AIA Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2016 LOOK! BOOK ARTS, Healdsburg Art Center, Healdsburg, CA
2014 New Directions, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
2014 Mixed (e)Motions, A/NT Gallery, Seattle, WA
2014 Civic Art, DG717 Gallery, San Francisco CA
2012 HELP/LESS, Printed Matter, New York, NY
2012 FAX, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011 Transmit, Den Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
2011 Proof, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
2011 The Art of the Book, Donna Seager Gallery, San Rafael, CA
2011 Getting Upper, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA

Residencies

2018-2019 YBCA Fellow, 1 year
2017 Kala Art Institute, 4 weeks

Board Involvement

SECA Council (2019+)
AIGA National Board (2013—2017)
San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery Advisory Board (2009—2012)
 AIGA San Francisco Board (2007-2010, Vice President, then President) 
New Langton Arts Advisory Board (2004—2006)

Teaching History

Academy of Art University, Grad Program, Graphic Design (2006—2008) 
CCA, Extension Classes (2004—2005)

Selected Talks to Creative Groups

Ohio Arts Educators Association
HOW Live Conference, Atlanta
Hike Conference
Art Institute Atlanta
Art Institute Los Angeles
PapierHier, The Netherlands
Target Design Group
 Columbus Society of Communicating Arts 
SFMOMA 
Dallas Society of Visual Communicators 
Academy of Art University  IDEO
SF Portfolio Center 
The Colophon Club, Berkeley
 Clorox Design Department 
FUSE Conference: Chicago 
UNITE, San Diego

Brian Singer

Catch-22 #3, 2021