Brandur Bjarnason Karlsson

Born on 1 Jan 1982 in Iceland, Brandur Bjarnason Karlsson as a  young adult studied biology and physics at the University of Iceland, trained in judo, played basketball, and worked as a warden in the remote highlands of Iceland. In 2008, at the age of 26, Brandur contracted a brainstem lesion through an unexplained infection, rendering him a quadriplegic. But, despite being paralyzed, Brandur has a vibrant spirit and he doesn’t let his disability prevent him from enjoying life. 

He advocates for equality and civil rights for disabled people, promotes the use of remote-visual devices to enjoy nature, founded the drone association in Iceland, and helped to launch the Flying Chair project, enabling disabled people to enjoy paragliding in a specially designed, lightweight chair. Brandur started mouth painting Icelandic and imaginary sci-fi landscapes since 2010. He became a scholarship member of the Association Of Mouth And Foot Painting Artists in 2015. Brandur painted numerous images from the drone camera footage and photographs of volcanic eruptions.