During the 1980s, he was an active member of the Houston alternative art scene, relocating to Austin in 1988. His artwork has been featured in well over 100 exhibitions and is included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the San Antonio Museum of Art; Mexic-Arte Museum; the Art Museum of South Texas; the El Paso Museum of Art; the Art Museum of Southeast Texas; and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. In 2008, his Astrogeneris Mementos became the first assemblage sculptures exhibited in outer space. His assemblages engage the phenomena of consciousness incorporating experimental, often pioneering elements such as high-voltage electricity, gyro mechanics, ultraviolet, laser, and optical technologies, even the oldest known geological and living preservations. His monograph, The Science of Surrealism: Assemblage Sculpture of Steve Brudniak, is held in over 99 major libraries worldwide.
Brudniak is also an accomplished filmmaker and actor.