Growing up on a sprawling property that ‘pretty much’ backed onto Araluen, Hans Bruechle had a lot of time to himself which he spent doodling.
“My parents always encouraged me to have a pen or a paintbrush in my hand,” he said.
While he seemed destined for a life in the arts, being a professional artist was not on his radar.
He graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and hurtled headlong into a dizzying career on commercial tv and radio.
“That was where my life was heading. But in 2010 I chucked it all in and went to Italy,” he said.
“I spent heaps of time painting and realised that was what I wanted to do.
“Performing is my side hustle now. I’m much more creatively stimulated by my art.”
He returned to Australia ready to launch himself as a professional street artist and got his first gig custom painting skateboard decks for a friend’s exhibition.
“They sold out immediately and I got heaps of requests for more,” he said.
“And because I’ve never done anything by halves, I decided to start my own skateboard label.”
Over the course of his 14+ year career as his alias ‘HANDBRAKE’, Hans has made his unique mark on some of the biggest brands around including Porsche, Mercedes, Harley Davidson, Jack Daniels, Tesla, Red Bull and McDonalds.
His bold, cartoon-like murals feature all over Perth, including at Maddington Central and the Perth Harley Davidson store in Cannington.
Despite his obvious success, Hans said he’s never had a big explosive moment.
“I’ve just kept grinding at it,” he said.
And after more than a decade of ‘hiding’ behind his alter ego as he built up his artistic oeuvre, Hans is ready to throw off his mask.
But before that, he’s got one last hurrah planned – HANDBRAKE’s biggest solo show to date.
This Saturday, he will showcase the final installment in his Chaos trilogy at Fremantle’s Naval Store.
Hans has been busy transforming the space into an immersive art experience.
“The centrepiece for this exhibition – my biggest yet – is a unique installation combining a large-scale mural, with motion design and animation by Jhan Fung projected onto the painted surface, and all set to a custom, synchronized soundscape created by international music producer Devante,” he said.
“The main character escapes the clutter and drudgery of city life and takes off on an adventure into her own mind. It’s really a commentary about the power of imagination.
“I can’t wait to show Perth what we have created.”
The 18+ exhibition will also feature a collection of Hans’ latest gallery works, prints and apparel.
In addition to new works, the award-winning HANDBRAKE x Rogue Motorcycles cafe racer and hand-painted Tesla Model S will be on display.
Saturday night guests will enjoy a specially designed HANDBRAKE cocktail created for ‘the end of the world’ at the cash bar and complimentary Mexican street food by Al Pastor.
Free HANDBRAKE tattoos are also available to be inked by the team at Artful Ink for attendees as well as live DJs and an array of surprises.
“It’s basically gonna be a massive party,” Hans said.
Chaos Concluded launches on Saturday at 6pm and goes until 11pm at The Naval Store, 141 Queen St Fremantle. The exhibition will also be open on Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Entry is free and all are welcome.
