Photos
About the event
##Exhibition Introduction
Joel Mesler: In the Beginning opens on June 23, 2021
Lévy Gorvy is pleased to announce that Joel Mesler's new works will be exhibited in Hong Kong on June 23, 2021. "Joel Mesler: In the Beginning" will be the artist's first solo exhibition in Asia.
Mesler gets inspiration from childhood memories and life experiences and uses both text and images to make his personal impressions closely linked with cultural touchstones and the elements of human universal consciousness. The works on display in "Joel Mesler: In the Beginning" are composed of boldly styled patterns that reproduce the leaves, animal forms, water pools and the sun. In terms of themes and styles, the tropical flora and fauna in his paintings evoke memories of Paul Gauguin and Henri Rousseau’s fantasy jungles, and are also reminiscent of the iconic forms of decorative art in the mid-twentieth century, such as printed wallpaper which depicts exotica. In these scenes, Mesler includes phrases presented in script, experimenting with letter formation and its integration into his works.
Mesler conceived these paintings by tracing his night visions and dreams as a child. As he recalled: "The paintings come out of the memories of nights my parents would go out for the evening. They would usually tuck me into my bed and kiss me goodnight, my mom leaving red lipstick residue smudged on my cheek. As I would fall asleep, all these elements would swirl through my mind as I hit REM. Their parting words to me, ‘Honey, you deserve great things’ and ‘The world is yours,’ and the animals in my wallpaper would meet with the furs of my mother’s jackets, the colors of their clothes and the smells of their perfume and cologne. I often thought about what my parents were doing as the night went on. I knew they did things, but I didn’t really have the language yet to describe them. The paintings in this show are my dreamscapes as my parents and I moved through the night.”
Three works in the exhibition will complement "In the Beginning" which will be sold exclusively by Lévy Gorvy at the gallery's Hong Kong space and website. Mesler will also collaborate with fashion brand IZZUE to launch limited-edition clothing and accessories showcasing the images from the paintings in "In the Beginning". These will be sold at I.T. Hong Kong and Beijing.
##Exhibition details
- Exhibition Name: Joel Mesler: In the Beginning｜Solo Exhibition
- Exhibition Date: June 23-August 14 2021
- Exhibition location: Lévy Gorvy
##Artist Profile Joel Mesler
Joel Mesler (born in 1974) was born in Los Angeles and currently lives and works in East Hampton, New York. His recent solo exhibitions were at David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles (2021); Harper’s Books, East Hampton, New York (2020); Simon Lee, London (2018); and Galerie TORRI, Paris (2016). Mesler’s painting "New York, New York" (2021) went to auction on May 11 at Christie’s New York 21st Century Evening Sale to fund Community Organization Relief Work (CORE), an emergency relief nonprofit dedicated to supporting marginalized communities affected by or vulnerable to crisis..
The above information source: Official website press release