Andrew Reach
Cleveland, OH
"I may not be able to have unbridled energy and movement in my physical body, but I can through geometry and color."
Andrew Reach (he/him/his) believes that art not only brings beauty into the world but also challenges us to look at the world through different perspectives and cultures. From his early childhood in Miami, Florida, the tropical colors and shapes of the built environment resonated strongly, and he began to aspire to make his mark on the world around him. Throughout his childhood, he experienced trauma as homophobia rose, which sparked his activism in the LGBTQIA+ community and immense personal development. Andrew’s art is one of a perspective that is built of layers upon layers of inspiration, meaning, and experiences.
After earning a Bachelor of Design from the University of Florida and Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute, Andrew pursued his passion of becoming an architect. He went on to work in Los Angeles for 11 years on homes, offices and historic preservation and returned to his hometown of Miami to work for HOK on large scale projects, fulfilling his yearning to create his own built environments. His role as project architect of the Frost Art Museum at Florida International University in Miami was one of the most meaningful, especially as it was the last project he worked on before illness caused him to need to leave the profession.
Kneaded into these layers is Andrew’s journey of healing. Beginning in early adolescence, he developed Scheuermann's disease, a curvature of the spine that continued to progress into adulthood and if left untreated, the continuing curvature would crush his internal organs. Andrew shares, “I began making art digitally after my second surgery in 2004, originally at the urging of my husband as a way of escaping from pain. I had no idea at the time that this initial foray into art making would become my new path forward in life.”
Andrew developed lengthy complications which forced him into long stretches of immobility and eventually, a departure from his career. Though difficult, this stationary time allowed Andrew to tap into his love of geometry and saturated tropical color palettes and funnel his creative inspiration down a new path: artmaking. In the ultimate full circle moment, Andrew returned to his last building when disability ended his architectural career, with the solo show FULL CIRCLE, being invited to be one of the exhibitions at the Frost Museum’s Inaugural opening.
Now a prolific abstract artist working in the realm of digital media, Andrew’s architectural and engineering brain is deeply rooted in his work, manifesting in a creative process he coined, ‘3D Derivatives.’ Utilizing his own 3D models, he creates geometric constructs with the goal of imparting ‘Optical Joyfulness’ to the viewer. Andrew’s work evolves swiftly, yet somehow time travels between the layers of his life as an innovative thinker using imagination to channel the physical to the spiritual, and rushes forcibly into his foundational curiosity in seeking meaning out of this strange and enthralling built environment.
