Bran is a British sculptor, artist, and photographer known for transforming instruments of war into powerful works of art. A former member of the British Special Forces, he redefines symbols of conflict, capitalism, and resilience through his innovative sculptures.
Born in 1971 in Enfield, UK, Bran began as a photographer before joining the British Army Special Forces Reserves in 2004. His deployment to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, marked a turning point. There, he documented Afghan National Police officers who decorated their AK-47s with stickers, roses, and charms—symbolic acts of resilience that humanized weapons of destruction.
This experience became the foundation of Bran’s artistic vision: “The whole premise of my work is to simply disarm the weapon, taking something of mass destruction and transforming it into art. I use paper currency which represents capitalism, and the butterflies are a representation of mother nature taking over man-made tools and they also represent the lost souls taken by the deadly weapon.”