Kitsch and provocative, Chris Bracey's bold neon signs often make simple proclamations: “Let it be,” “Live your life, be free,” “Reach out, touch faith.”
These phrases, hand-made in neon glass, are frequently taken from mainstream song lyrics. Other bodies of his artwork feature salvaged neon signs, which invite the viewer to imagine their original settings: the word “Lucky” enclosed within a horseshoe perhaps adorned a bar or casino; a pink neon heart inscribed with the words “Love, Lust, Sex” may have hung outside a strip club.
In his career Bracey, who passed away in 2014, made neon signs for movies such as Batman and Eyes Wide Shut.
