The Black Paintings

Location

Newport Street Gallery
Newport Street
London
SE11 6AJ

Description

This exhibition runs from Friday 27th September 2024 to Sunday 9th March 2025.


An exhibition of nearly 200 never-before-exhibited paintings and works on paper by the American artist Wes Lang. It will be the first exhibition of the acclaimed artist’s work in the UK.

Titled The Black Paintings, the exhibition will feature works produced between 2022 and 2024 that are populated by Lang’s distinctive group of characters, namely his favoured skeleton, but also animal-like and otherworldly beings. At times set against completely obscured, dark backgrounds, while at others lush landscapes, Lang’s compositions are story-like.

While Lang’s paintings are dense with colour and imagery, his drawings are lighter, leaving broad and contemplative white spaces on the pages. Often, these works on paper include text, sometimes integrating phrases that echo Taoist philosophy, while other times using more personal expressions. Text and image frequently appear to be incongruous, encouraging viewers to engage further with the works and uncover meanings for themselves.

Lang is known for taking inspiration from a wide range of sources, masterfully fusing the styles of his fine art heroes with memories and imagery from childhood and culture. For example, the works presented in The Black Paintings reference sources as diverse as monster finger puppets that Lang had as a child, Francis Bacon’s Man in Blue series, the 1920s serial film The Moon Riders, the painterliness of Edouard Vuillard and the skeletons and monsters of James Ensor’s paintings.

Prices

Free

Contact and Booking Details

More information at this website.

Upcoming Dates

This exhibition runs from Friday 27th September 2024 to Sunday 9th March 2025.

Forthcoming dates:

Sun 9th Feb 2025 
(10:00am to 6:00pm)
Tue 11th Feb 2025 
(10:00am to 6:00pm)
Wed 12th Feb 2025 
(10:00am to 6:00pm)
Thu 13th Feb 2025 
(10:00am to 6:00pm)
Fri 14th Feb 2025 
(10:00am to 6:00pm)
Sat 15th Feb 2025 
(10:00am to 6:00pm)
Sun 16th Feb 2025 
(10:00am to 6:00pm)

Disclaimer

The information and prices in this listing are presumed to be correct at the time of publishing, but please always check with the venue before making a special trip.

All images are supplied by the exhibition organiser.

Newport Street Gallery
Newport Street
London
SE11 6AJ

This exhibition runs from Friday 27th September 2024 to Sunday 9th March 2025.

This event runs over several days/weeks. Dates include:

September 2024

October 2024

November 2024

December 2024

January 2025

February 2025

March 2025