Connor Brothers

The Connor Brothers are twins Franklyn and Brendan Connor. They were brought up within a secretive and highly controversial cult known as ‘The Family’. The extreme fanatical Christian cult, founded by David Berg, was born out of the hippy movement in 1968 (actors River and Joaquin Pheonix were also brought up within the cult). As children, the twins were deprived of access to information from outside of their commune. Without access to mainstream media, their knowledge of the world was limited to the interactions and teachings they gained from other cult members. At sixteen, the boys left the group and ran away from home.

Information deprivation at first caused the twins to be overwhelmed, and rightfully so. In time, they developed a system whereby each of them would read, watch and discover things independently and then share them with one another via a series of notebooks and sketchpads. This interaction developed into making artworks, a process they describe as "trying to make sense of the world".

Using collage to subvert the meaning of old master paintings and vintage romance novels, The Connor Brothers cast a cynical and penetrating eye at contemporary culture. Their work reinterprets objects from the past and in doing so provides a humorous commentary on contemporary societies obsession with wealth, fame and the unrealistic idealism of advertisings' vision of relationships.

Following sold out exhibitions in London, Los Angeles and Sydney the Connor Brothers are currently planning their biggest show to date, an immersive experience bringing together art, music and theatre where the audience will be asked to suspend disbelief as they enter a world in which nothing is quite as it seems. Works by The Connor Brothers have recently been included in contemporary auctions at both Christies and Bonhams, and can be found in collections worldwide including The Victoria and Albert Museum.

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