Eric Wesley - Remix (Cube Medium), 2019
Bronze on walnut pedestal. Sculpture: 16 x 16 x 16 in. Pedestal: 48 x 16 x 16 in.
“I’ve always, since a kid, been interested in order and chaos. It’s an easy way to deal with things – life, and later on, formalism and art.”
Eric Wesley discusses Remix (Cube medium), 2019 in this video.
The cast bronze sculpture depicts an exploding stagecoach, a frenzied composition of wagon wheels, horses, figures, and objects which jut outward in all directions. Wesley conceived of the work just prior to the 2008 financial crisis as a reconfiguration of Wells Fargo’s famous logo. He revisited the concept in 2019, an eerily prescient reflection of a world which has once again fallen off its wheels.
(b. 1973 in Los Angeles, California)
Lives and works in Los Angeles, California
Education
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Co-founder of MSA (Mountain School of Art), Los Angeles, CA
Solo Exhibitions
2019
Timbuctoo, Pio Pico, Los Angeles, CA
Reputation, Sprovieri, London, United Kingdom
2018
Eric Wesley: BUG (A Proposal 2018), Redling Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
The Bell, Mannahatta, Red Bull Arts New York, NADA New York 2018, New York, NY Reputation, Galleria Fonti, Naples, Italy
2016
Isosceles Trapezoid Arch, Midway Contemporary Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Eric Wesley/St. Louis, Bortolami Gallery, Cahokia, IL
2015
Some Work, 356 Mission, Los Angeles, CA
2014
Daily Progress Status Reports, Bortolami Gallery, New York, NY
2013
Hybrid Naples: L’Ordine delle Idee Deve Procedere Secondo L’Ordine Delle Cose, solo projects by Eric Wesley and Christian Waldvogel, curated by Jörg Heiser, Fondazione Morra Greco, Naples, Italy
2012
The Natural Order of Things, Galleria Fonti, Naples, Italy
2 new works, Bortolami Gallery, New York, NY
2011
The Same ‘Ol New Frontier, China Art Objects, Los Angeles, CA
2010
D’Carts Blanche and New Paintings, Bortolami Gallery, New York, NY
2009
New Realistic Figures, Maureen Paley, London, United Kingdom
2008
Ship Shape Shit Shelf and the Empfang Box, Feurig59, Berlin, Germany
2007
Spaference Room, Bortolami Gallery, New York, NY
Spafice, Foundation Morra Greco, Naples, Italy
2006
Audi, Meyer-Riegger Gallery, Karlsruhe, Germany
You say Tomato, I say Tomato, Galleria Fonti, Naples, Italy
Eric Wesley, China Art Objects Galleries, Los Angeles, CA
MOCA FOCUS: Eric Wesley, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
2005
Bowie-Van Valen Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2004
Pico Youth Center, China Art Objects Galleries, Los Angeles, CA
I love WW2, Locust Projects, Miami, FL
2003
Jeans Theory, Statements, Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland
2002
Metro Pictures, New York, NY
Enchilada “The Endless Burrito”, Meyer-Reigger Galerie, Karlsruhe, Germany
Group Exhibitions
2020
The Spread, Deboer Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2019
Searching the Sky for Rain, curated by Sohrab Mohebbi, SculptureCenter, Long Island City, NY
Wabi Sabi Lobby, Redling Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
Wabi Sabi Lobby, Private Places, Portland, OR
Dirty Protest: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Castles in the Sky: Fantasy Architecture in Contemporary Art, curated by Bartholomew F. Bland, Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, FL
Martha Rosler/Eric Wesley, slash, curated by Drew Heitzler, San Francisco, CA
2018
Castles in the Sky: Fantasy Architecture in Contemporary Art, curated by Bartholomew F. Bland, Lehman College Art Museum, Bronx, NY
Naotaka Hiro, Pooneh Maghazehe, Robin Peck, Eric Wesley, Step Sister, New York, NY 2017
From DADA to TA-DA!, Fisher Parrish Gallery, New York, NY
University of Disasters, curated by Matthew Grumbach, Bortolami, New York, NY
99 Cents or Less, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI
Living Apart Together: Recent Acquisitions from the Hammer Contemporary Collection, Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2016
I Beam U Channel, Bortolami, New York, NY
2014
Made In L.A.: A Public Fiction, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2013
Endless Bummer II / Still Bummin’, curated by Drew Heitzler and Jan Tumlir, Marlborough Chelsea, New York, NY
2011
Making Histories – Changing Views of the Collection, Temporary Stedelijk Museum 3, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Greater LA, 483 Broadway, SoHo, New York, NY
BigMinis: Fetishes of Crisis, Musée d'Art Contemporain, Bordeaux, France
2010
The Artist’s Museum, MOCA Geffen Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
RE-DRESSING, Bortolami Gallery, New York, NY
The Inauguration of China Art Objects in Culver City, Los Angeles, CA
Les enfants terribles, Fundacion Coleccion Jumex, Mexico
Video Journeys, Cottage Home, Los Angeles, CA
2009
Second Nature: Dean Valentine Collection, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
1999, China Art Objects, Los Angeles, CA
2008
The Light of the Virgo, China Art Objects, Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Confidential, Centre d'Art du Parc Saint Léger, Pougues-les-Eaux, France Amateurs, CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco, CA
ITALIA ITALIE ITALIEN ITALY WLOCHY, ARCOS Museo d’Arte,Benevento, Italy
Globetrotters, 410 Cottage Home, Curated by Katie Brennan, Los Angeles, CA Sand- Meaning and Metaphor, Parrish Museum, New York, NY
2007
Prague Biennial, Prague, Czech Republic
Milieu, Lizabeth Oliveria, Los Angeles, CA
Angles Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
One Foot High and Rising, Balmoral Gallery, Venice, CA
Darling, Take Fountain, Kalfayan Gallery, Greece
Substance & Surface, Bortolami, New York, NY
2006
Axis of Praxis, Midway Contemporary Art, Minneapolis, MN
Design-O-mite, Black Dragon Society, Los Angeles, CA
Alien Nation, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, United Kingdom
The Gold Standard, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, NY
Survivor, Bortolami Dayan, New York, NY
2005
Closing Down: Thanks, Bortolami Dayan, New York, NY
A Walk to Remember, Organized by Jens Hoffmann, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA
100 Artists See God, Curated by John Baldessari and Meg Cranston, Organized by ICA, London, United Kingdom
Installations, I-20 Gallery, New York, NY
Having Differences. I-20 Gallery, New York, NY
Public Collections
Fondazione Morra Greco, Naples, Italy
Nomas Foundation, Rome, Italy
MOCA Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA Colección Jumex, Mexico City, Mexico
Aishti Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY
Selected Bibliography
2019
“Eric Wesley Estate $1,000,000,” YES & NO, Issue 4, Volume 2
“Reputation,” YES & NO, Issue 3, Volume 2
Russeth, Andrew. “Art Los Angeles Contemporary Fair Lifts Off: Longterm Relationships, Butt Prints, and a $1 M. Offer from Eric Wesley,” Artnews, February
2018
Lakin, Max. “What Every Art Fair Needs: A Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell,” Garage, March
Fridette, Meagan. “Eric Wesley Brings NYC Its Newest Combination Taco Bell/Pizza Hut”, Paper, March
Giovanna Mancini, Maria. “Eric Wesley”, Artforum, November
2017
Tumlir, Jan. “Infinite Jest: Jan Tumlir on Eric Wesley’s The Bell,” Artforum, February
“The Bell,” Frieze, video, February
Moffitt, Evan. “It’s A Wrap”, Frieze, March, No. 185, p. 28, print
Kroeber, Gavin. “Eric Wesley Cahokia at Bortolami”, Art in America, March
2016
Voien, Guelda. “In Italy, an Art Contest to Rebrand a Wine Dynasty’s Family Name,” Observer. May
Dafoe, Taylor. “Bortolami Pushes Art Beyond NY and LA”. Blouin Art Info, July
Duray, Dan. “Bortolami creates US-wide mini-Marfas”. The Art Newspaper, July
Lesser, Casey. “An Artist Is Using a Former Taco Bell to Make the Art World Slow Down,” Artsy, July
Dampier, Cindy, “Eric Wesley’s quest for high-art fame leads to a Taco Bell”, Chicago Tribune, July
Thomas Crone, “A Los Angeles Artist Has Transformed an Abandoned Taco Bell in Cahokia, Illinois into a Temporary Gallery,” St.Louis, July
Korman, Sam. “Emma Fernberger on Artist / City”. Flash Art, July
Keh, Pei-Ru. “City Limits: Bortolami Gallery’s ‘Artist/City’ upends the traditional exhibition model,” Wallpaper*, August
Allen, Michael R., “Intangible Heritage of the American Bottom,” Charting the American Bottom
2015
"Some Work," Published by Ooga Booga, Los Angeles.
2014
Li, Lucy, "Eric Wesley: Daily Progress Status Reports," The Brooklyn Rail, October.
Griffin, Jonathan, "ERIC WESLEY: 356 S. Mission Road, Los Angeles," Frieze, Issue 170, April.
Ghorashi, Hannah, "This is not trash: Eric Wesleys Tribute to Miscellany at Frieze," ARTnews, May.
2012
"Eric Wesley, '2 new works' at Bortolami Gallery, New York," Mousse, February.
Plagens, Peter, "Shock, Light Therapy With Life Thrown In," The Wall Street Journal, February.
2010
Johnson, Ken, "Eric Wesley 'D'Carts Blanche and New Paintings,'" The New York Times, May.
2009
“Vitamin 3-D: New Perspectives in Sculpture”, Phaidon.
2008
Burton, Johanna, “Eric Wesley,” ArtForum, March p.362.
Schimmel, Paul, “Future Greats,” Art Review, March p.87.
2007
Bovino, Emily Verla, “Eric Wesley,” Frieze online, Oct. 27.
Campagnola, Sonia, “Eric Wesley: Let’s Do A Trade,” Flash Art, No. 253, March.
Knight, Christopher, “Living Friskily Is Best Revenge,” Los Angeles Times, Aug. 3. Haithman, Diane, “$1 Million New Year's Gift to the Hammer,” Los Angeles Times, Jan.5. Robinson, Walter, “HAMMER Museum Gets Dean Valentine Art,” Artnet.com.
Sholis, Brian, “Show Business,” artforum.com.
2006
Butler, Cornelia, “Thesis Show,” MOCA Focus: Eric Wesley Catalogue, March.
Knight, Christopher, “After a Bold Takeover a Weak Message Is Sent,” Los Angeles Times, April 21.
Rochette, Anne and Wade Saunders, “Place Matters: Los Angeles,” Art in America, November.
Rogers, Mike, “Eric Wesley,” ArtUS.
Romeo, Fillippo, “Critic’s Pick: Eric Wesley,” artforum.com.
