Salut (Bradd Young), born in 1994, is a multi-media artist based in Rochester, New York. Young’s work references the cartoons that shaped his childhood through its vibrant colors and expressive characters. Young uses different paint techniques, like airbrush and impressionism, to create a sense of depth and absurdity. Oftentimes, his paintings can be seen as an arrangement of motifs and imagery, rather than an easily identified setting. Nature is a common theme and setting explored in Young’s work because it is one of the most easily attainable depictions of beauty through the lens of a child. When Young introduces characters to his pieces, they are done with a disregard to anatomy, focusing more on shapes and his trademark facial expressions. Whether he is working on a piece with a maximalist or minimalist approach, Young sets out to create a colorful dreamy aesthetic that provides the same feelings of escapism found in Saturday morning cartoons.
​
Young earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comprehensive Arts and Graphic Design from Hampton University and was awarded the 2016 Outstanding Liberal Arts Student of the Year. In 2016, Young began working out of a studio in the Rochester Hungerford Art Building. Young began providing designs for products such as beer cans for NC Trophy Brewery, tinctures for Bad Drip Labs, and apparel for Kink BMX. While still involved in graphic design, Young started to transition into the fine art world by doing shows and murals in the Rochester and
Buffalo communities, thus establishing himself as a local artist. In 2017, Young displayed work in the grand opening of the UUU Art Collective, a gallery that provided a market for young modern artists in Rochester. In addition to displaying his artwork in galleries and public spaces in the United States, Young has featured his work through projects and exhibitions with museums such as the Albright-Knox Art Museum and the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery.