Solo Show by Weiner ’03 at Los Angeles Gallery

Recent works by Ben Charles Weiner ’03, a New York-based artist, are on display at Mark Moore Gallery in Los Angeles. Artdaily.org praised the works in this exhibition, Textures of You,  as “lush yet uneasy,” noting that Weiner was inspired by synthetic body enhancement products and used a hyperrealistic technique to create the paintings. Read the full article here.

In a recent conversation with The Wesleyan Connection, Weiner explained the workflow and artistic style he used for these paintings. “Formally, my approach to painting these subjects takes inspiration from the stock textures used in graphic design and CG rendered imagery. I photograph these substances at close range, then use the same image as the source for multiple paintings, reformatting this image using analog means by painting it onto canvases of different sizes and dimensions. Thus, in both my subjects and process, I’m exploring the synthetic augmentation of the body and its expression.”

Weiner, who received his BA in studio arts from Wesleyan, later studied under Mexican muralist José Lazcarro at Universidad de las Americas (Mexico). He has also worked closely with artists Jeff Koons, Kim Sooja and Amy Yoes as an assistant. He notes that he still draws upon his experience at Wesleyan, explaining, “The work in my show is similar to the work from my thesis at Wesleyan in that both shows consist of hyperrealistic paintings of mass-produced ephemera from daily life. This new work takes inspiration from minimalism and pushes further toward abstraction than my earlier work.”

He has exhibited his work widely across the United States and in Mexico.