Artist Statement

In my work, I transport viewers to realms that evoke the worlds of childhood imagination, simultaneously tapping into inherited histories and exploring the contrasts and connection between nature and fantasy. My practice involves the hand-construction of theatrical installations, props, and costumes, all of which enhance the hidden magical dimensions within our surroundings. These realms are populated with characters who embody, protect, and guide us on our journey. There is no AI in my work.

While rooted in childhood reveries, my narratives and archetypes also draw from ancient traditions and mythologies. This blend of wonder and tradition is designed to pull the viewer in different directions, always circling back to an appreciation of the natural world that surrounds us. I envision characters who secretly assist us in navigating these mystical landscapes and environments.

In my conceptual portraiture, I extend this vision by inviting individuals to step into these carefully crafted realms, becoming living embodiments of the mythologies I create. Each portrait session is a collaborative ritual where the subject's essence merges with the dreamscape, resulting in images that transcend traditional portraiture and become visual poems about identity, imagination, and transformation. These portraits reveal how we all possess the capacity to exist between reality and fantasy, between the mundane and the extraordinary.

The culmination of this process is a photograph, yet its creation involves an intricate process of theatrical storytelling. The resulting images function like storyboards and can be appreciated collectively or individually. I aim to unveil the realms of magic that have always existed alongside our own.

Bio

Adrien Broom is an award-winning photographer, set designer, and filmmaker based in NYC and Connecticut. Drawing upon her multidisciplinary background in animation, fine art, photography, and decorative arts, Broom creates intricate, handcrafted sets that transport viewers to fantastical realms, exploring the intersection of nature and fantasy.

Raised in Lyme, CT—America's oldest art colony—Broom's artistic sensibilities were shaped by her family's involvement in the arts. Her education in Florence and London informed her distinctive aesthetic, which merges classical painting sensibilities with contemporary media.

Working without computer-generated imagery or AI, Broom meticulously constructs physical sets that invite viewers into tangible, imaginative worlds. Her practice spans gallery and museum exhibitions, commercial projects, private commissions, and conceptual portraiture—all unified by her consistent artistic vision and creative philosophy. Influenced by diverse artists from Gregory Crewdson and Jim Henson to John Singer Sargent and Shona Heath, Broom has developed a signature approach to creating extraordinary worlds both photographically and as installations.

Her award-winning work has been exhibited at the Centro di Cultura Contemporanea (Florence), Hudson River Museum (Yonkers), Southern Vermont Arts Center, and Edward Hopper Museum (Nyack among others). In 2025, Broom will present solo exhibitions at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Oklahoma and the Mark Twain Museum in Hartford, CT. Her touring exhibition, A Colorful Dream (2019-2026), exemplifies her commitment to inspiring wonder.

Broom holds a BA in Computer Animation & Art History from Northeastern University, with additional studies at SACI College of Art and Design (Florence) and Christie's (London). Through her work, she demonstrates the enduring relevance of traditional techniques in our digital age.