Atelier Joliet opens a joint exhibition “ISSUE No.5, Circa 2026” and “i miss your face” by artists Joseph Mayernik and Jeffery Equality Brooks, opening on April 25.
“[The show] is… a grab bag of some older works, and some newer works,” Brooks says.
While Brooks is currently a full-time visual artist, he received his MFA from University of Illinois Chicago, and previously worked as a record producer and film and television composer.
“When I did music, I would refer to, ‘is this song a warm blanket or is it a sweet piece of sugar?’,” Brooks says. “I still sort of have some of that sweetness and warmth.”
Brooks’ process begins with photographing real people. Then, composes his pieces with elements like automotive paint, 24k gold and copper leaf, vinyl, broken glass, and resin.
Brooks shares that he studied with a master gilder in Vancouver for about nine months. “He said to me, ‘People have been gilding for about 5,000 years, and I’m not going to say what you want to do is impossible. I’m going to say I haven’t seen it before’… but I kept at it and I started to develop my own process,” Brooks says. “It’s a challenge for sure, but I think it’s worth it.”
Each work of art’s title is inspired from the conversation he had with the model. “That’s what I really want, is that moment of connection,” Brooks says. Some titles include “can we admit some lies we’ve told each other” and “I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME”.
“i miss your face” and “ISSUE No.5, Circa 2026” will be displayed at Atelier Joliet until May 30. For more information, visit https://atelierjoliet.com/ or http://www.jeffreyequalitybrooks.com/ .
