Last Updated on May 29, 2023
Bubble wrap as pop art. Who knew? Bradley Hart has found his artistic muse in the pop-pop-pop magic of bubble wrap.
Using bubble wrap, Hart creates portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, David Bowie and John Lennon, among others.
He has also reproduced some classics, including George Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” (1884) and the “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci (painted between 1503 and 1506).
His latest creation pays homage to rap legend Notorious B.I.G.
“I load thousands of syringes with paint in preparation to begin the injection,” he said in an interview with ABC’s Localish program.
The process is complicated and painstaking. Hart has completed just over a hundred injection paintings using a process that involves filling row after row of tiny bubble wrap cells with different hues of acrylic paint to create an image. The process usually takes four or five days, which includes preloading anywhere from 1,800 to 2,500 syringes.
And yes, much like the rest of us, Hart is addicted to the “pop-pop-pop” sound of bubble wrap.
“I love bubble wrap,” Hart told cbsnews.com. “I love the sound of bubble wrap popping. I hate the sound of bubble wrap popping in my studio. It means that something’s screwed up, or somebody’s messing with my materials.”
His art has taken on a deeper meaning in the world of Covid-19. In 2003, Hart was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
“Living with multiple sclerosis and needing to be injecting myself every other day with disease-modifying medications in my thighs, I guess the concept of syringes and needles were in the back of my mind,” Hart, 48, said.
“I joke to people that I live in a bubble. We choose who we let into our circle. We’ve all been forced now to create micro-bubbles. But guess what: all these little micro-bubbles come together; they make a beautiful painting.”
