KELSEY BROOKES (b. 1978, Denver, CO) is a former scientist who uses his background in biology and empirical methodology to create work at the intersection of art and science.
His practice draws on ideas and forms found in natural systems, including molecular and atomic structures and mathematical sequences, to create meticulously crafted, vividly colored paintings and sculptures. His work explores the tension between subjectivity and objectivity, concept and aesthetics, translating scientific knowledge into a visual language of image, pattern, and color.
Brookes has exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions in La Jolla, Los Angeles, New York, Spain, London, and Berlin. His work has been featured on album covers for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Flaming Lips, and Kelsey Brookes: Psychedelic Space is the first monograph devoted to his work.
Photo: Keegen Gibbs
KELSEY BROOKES - CV
1978 Born Denver, CO
1996-2000 Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Lives and works in San Diego, CA
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2026 PROBLEM CHILD, Louis Buhl, Detroit, MI
THE SHARED MOLECULE, NYU Langone Art Gallery, New York, NY
2025 ISLANDS OF CONsCIOUSNESS, Estudio Laterna, Ibiza, Spain
2024 GRADIENT PAINTINGS, Quint Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2023 COSMIC SYMMETRIES, Quint Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2021 POPULAR PSYCHEDELIC MOLECULES, RENDERED WITH ATOMIC PRECISION, USING INDIAN TAPESTRIES, Louis Buhl, Detroit, MI
2019 PERCEPTION AND HALLUCINATION, Quint Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2018 FIBONACCI, WAVEFORMS AND CAPSID SYMMETRIES, Quint Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2017 THE MATHEMATICS UNDERLYING ART, PACE Prints, New York, NY
2016 POSITION, Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI
THE GOLDEN RATIO: AESTHETICS AND MATHEMATICS, Compound Projects, Malibu, CA
2015 PSYCHEDELIC SPACE, Quint Gallery, La Jolla, CA
PLANTS OF THE GODS, Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY
2014 SLEEP: THE SCIENCE AND THE MYSTERY, Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI
2013 BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY, Judith Charles Gallery, New York, NY
RECREATIONAL DRUGS, Valmorbida, London, UK
2012 SEROTONIN: HAPPINESS AND SPIRITUAL STATES, Quint Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
MEDITATIONS ON SYMMETRY, Compound Projects, Malibu, CA
2011 DESIRES OF THE SOUL, The Outsiders, London, England
2010 KELSEY BROOKES – CAPED CREATURES, Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2009 BIGGER, BRIGHTER, BOLDER, Quint Contemporary Art, La Jolla, CA
2008 KELSEY BROOKES, New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywood , CA
2007 SUPER NUMERARY, Milieu Gallery, Bern, Switzerland
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Inner Sanctums, John Harris, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM), Wappingers Falls, NY
2024 Opening Day, Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY
Alright, Alright, Alright, Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY
The Voids, La Maison, Alsace, France
2023 COLLECTORS EDITION, Virginia Museum Of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA
FULL STEAM AHEAD, Auckland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, NC
2022 ADOLESCENCE, Studio Cromie, Puglia, Italy
2021 DIVINE PARADIGM, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa, AZ
Beyond The Streets on Paper, South Hampton Art Center, South Hampton, NY
2014 DAZED & CONFUSED, Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY
STATE OF THE ART: DISCOVERING AMERICAN ART NOW, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AK
2013 WORKS ON PAPER II, Quint Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
2011 REALITY BITES, Post No Bills, Venice Beach, CA
2010 HERE NOT THERE: SAN DIEGO ART NOW, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla, CA
SURVEY SELECT, curated by Mark Murphy, Wonderbread Factory, San Diego, CA
COME AS YOU ARE, Prism, Los Angeles, CA
TOTAL ECLIPSE: KELSEY BROOKES, KIME BUZZELLI, AND ALBERT REYES, New Image Art, Los Angeles, CA
2009 QUINT: THREE DECADES OF CONTEMPORARY ART, California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum, Escondido, CA
RETROSPECTIVE, Laz Inc, London, England
HOMING IN: AN EXHIBTION OF 50 SAN DIEGO ARTISTS, Quint Contemporary Art, La Jolla, CA
RVCAX LODOWN, Lodown Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2008 SEE NO EVIL, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA
SMASH & GRAB, Laz Inc, London, England
OPEN DAY, Pictures On Walls, London, England
SCION PRESENTES INSTALLATION 4 - LOS ANGELES, Scion Installation LA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
AJ FOSIK AND KELSEY BROOKES, White Walls Gallery, San Francisco, CA
FAIRFAX + HAIGHT, RVCA, San Francisco, CA
A BENEFIT SHOW, Fecal Face Dot Gallery, San Franciso, CA
SEMI-PERMANENT ART, Australia
POSTER RENAISSANCE, London, England
WELCOME HOME, Fecal Face Dot Gallery, San Fransico, CA
GOLD RUSH, Okay Mountain Gallery, Austin, TX
2007 OPENING GROUP SHOW, Lazarides Gallery, Newcastle, England
SANTA’S GHETTO, West Bank, Palestine
'REPLACE ‘PLEASE’ WITH FAST & ‘THANK YOU’ WITH GOD', Lab 101, Los Angeles, CA
OUT OF TOWNERS, Fecal Face Dot Gallery, San Fransico, CA
BRODEO, New Image Art, Santa Monica, CA
INSTALLATION SCION ART TOUR 4 - NYC, The Reed Space, New York, NY
10 CURATORS, Colette, Paris, France
THE RETURN OF SAINITY, Andenken Gallery
2006 SANTA’S GHETTO, Pictures On Walls, London, England
Giant Robot, San Francisco, CA
RATTLE THE CHANDELIER, Lab 101, Los Angeles, CA
Magpie, San Diego, CA
City Beat Art Show, San Diego, CA
KCDC + RVCA, Brooklyn, NY
THE 125TH AVNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNET, BLK/MARKT Gallery, Culver City, CA
TNT INSIDE-OUT, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego, CA
LIVE ART INSTALLATION AND EXHIBITION, RVCA, Seattle, WA
STENCH, SEVENTEEN ARTISTS KICK UP A STINK, Lazarides, London, England
2005 SANTA’S GHETTO, Pictures On Walls, London, England
SELECTED ART FAIRS
2019 Art Expo Chicago, Library Street Collective
Zona Maco, Library Street Collective
2015 Untitled, Eric Firestone Gallery
2014 Miami Project, Quint Gallery
Untitled, Eric Firestone Gallery
Wynwood Walls, Miami, Library Street Collective
2013 Art Los Angeles Contemporary, Quint Contemporary Art
Miami Project, Quint Contemporary Art
2010 Art San Diego – Quint Contemporary Art
2008 Aqua Miami – New Image
2007 Aqua Miami – New Image
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2021 “Kelsey Brookes’ Science-based Art,” Visual Art Source, March 20, 2021
2015 “KELSEY BROOKES: PSYCHEDELIC SPACE,” Published and Distributed by Gingko Press in association with Quint Gallery and Library Street Collective
McCormick, Ken. “Banksy collection put up for auction by artist's former agent from Bristol,” Bristol Post (bristolpost.co.uk, accessed February 3), January 23.
Forrest, Nicholas. “Steve Lazarides to Sell Banksy Prints at Bonhams,” uk.blouinartinfo.com (accessed February 3), January 13.
2014 Chute, James. “Brookes latest in 'Murals of La Jolla' series,” San Diego Union-Tribune, August 26.
Sherman, Pat. “Mesmerizing Mural: New public artwork on Ivanhoe Avenue is first under Athenaeum auspices in La Jolla,” La Jolla Light, August 20.
Chute, James. “Belt, Adey and Brookes make the cut for Crystal Bridges: Three San Diego artists represented in 'State of the Art' show,” San Diego
Union-Tribune, August 18.
DeVito, Lee. “Science meets art in Kelsey Brookes’ psychedelic paintings,” metrotimes.com (Detroit Metro Times), July 22.
2012 Chute, James. “Overwhelming Beauty,” UT San Diego, December 20, p. 31.
Heist, Annette. “Your Brain On… Art,” sciencefriday.com, accessed November 7.
Murphy, Mark. “Kelsey Brookes Serotonin Visits,” murphydesign1.blogspot.com, accessed November 2.
Granite, Amy T. “Kelsey Brookes Gets Trippy,” sdcitybeat.com, accessed October 31.
Myrland, Susan. “San Diego’s emerging art scene: Kelsey Brookes, ‘Serotonin; Happiness and Spiritual States,” utsandiego.com, accessed October
30.
Bennett, Kelly. “A Scientist-Painter Considers the Molecules of Well-Being,”voiceofsandiego.org, accessed October 26.
“Kelsey Brookes | Serotonin: Happiness and Spiritual States,” rvca.com, accessed October 3.
“Red Hot Chili Peppers Prep Singles Series,” rollingstone.com, accessed June 18.
2011 Stephans, Anna Maria and Seth Combs. “Arts & Power,” Riviera Magazine, December, p. 78.
2010 Anonymous. “Rogues of K Street,” Playboy Magazine, July, p. 34-35.
Pincus, Robert L. “Kelsey Brookes,” ARTnews, June, p. 113-114.
Gilewicz, Samantha. “It’s Life, But Not As We Know It,” Nylon, March, p. 140-141.
2009 Pincus, Robert L. “The Shotgun Approach,” San Diego Union Tribune, December 10, p. 16.
Combs, Seth. “Bright Young Thing,” San Diego City Beat, November 11, p. 66.
Cover, San Diego City Beat, November 4.
Buscemi, Lauren. “Artist Profile: Kelsey Brookes,” Art Ltd., November.
Williams, Kate and Mark Whalen. “Kelsey Brookes,” Monster Children, Issue #24.
“Preserving the Sacred: The Art of Kelsey Brookes,” sezio.org, accessed April 13.
Hatton, Hayley. “Heathen Chemistry,” Dazed and Confused, April, p.44. GQ Magazine.
2008 Lazarides, Steve. Outsiders: Art by People, London: Random House, 2008, pp. 38, 114-115, 142-143, 252-253.
“Kelsey Brookes’ First U.S. Solo Show,” Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine,
November 6. htt HYPERLINK "p://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/kelsey-brookes-first-us so" p://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/kelsey-brookes-first-us
solo-show. Accessed April 30, 2009.
O’Shea, Jamie. “7 of the Wildest Cards Working in the Art World,”Paper, August, pp.54-57.
RE:UP Magazine
2007 “Profile: Kelsey Brookes,” Juxtapoz, November, p.44.
Jones, Josh. “Paint or Surf?,” Huck, November, p.38.
Oñate, Curro. “Kelsey Brookes: ¿Por Qué No?” Staf.thenew.popculture (Spain), April, pp. 88-91
2006 FAESTHETIC, Issue 6. 160 pages.
“Kelsey Brookes,” Happy Magazine, July, pp.112-121.
RE:UP Magazine
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AK
Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
Chapman University, The Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Collection of Art, Orange, CA
New York University, NUY Langone Health Art Collection, New York, NY