JJ Brine

JJ BRINE was born “Baby Torres” on November 8th, 1983. Hours later, the baby was adopted and a new birth certificate was issued for “Jonathan Friel.” Currently working under the creative moniker JJ BRINE, you may know JJ as the creative mastermind behind Vector Gallery, the flashy storefront full of glittering detritus you located on Grand St. in East Williamsburg area. Near the hipster strip club PUMPS, and where many artists keep studio space, the space reads like a candy-bloated astral projection complete with rebranded addicts and signage like “God is the Mother of God” and “we are all Satan.” Strewn with crosses and flashing lights that either bash your nervous system, or reboot it altogether… to top it off www.myspace.com is on the wall in vinyl letters, as if to tether you back to some kind of temporal source amidst the stormy seas of your capsized spirit URL. For creator JJ, Art is a matter of religion, and religion is a matter of Art. When asked what medium JJ works in, the artist answered simply “World events.” As an artist, JJ often feels constrained by “the narrative constraints of being in one body at a time,” and uses the pronoun “they” or “their.” What is their work about? It’s about itself. And JJ is working on becoming more beautiful at the moment. The artist also has plans to open VECTOR 6.0, another branch of their magical gallery operation, in Harlem come Fall.