The Black Paintings

Damien Hirst's Newport Street Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of 89 never-before-exhibited paintings by the American artist Wes Lang. It is the first exhibition of the acclaimed artist's work in the UK. Titled The Black Paintings, the exhibition features 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 Édouard Vuillard and the skeletons and monsters of James Ensor’s paintings. Central to all of Lang’s work is his desire to motivate audiences to lead fulfilling lives, and to believe in themselves. In particular, the works featured were produced in reaction to what Lang calls ‘the prevailing narrative of negativity’ in the world: ”I really wanted to sit down and make a body of work that shows people that all this noise and all these divisive faces of evil that we’re told matter don’t have to consume your mind and the way you feel about the world.” The exhibition has been arranged in association with Heni. American artist Wes Lang creates provoking artworks, primarily on canvas and paper and featuring a universe of striking characters, that intend to inspire and motivate. Populating his works with everything from skulls, grim reapers, Native American chiefs and country music icons to flora, birds and horses, Lang’s imagery has the capacity to reach a wide-ranging audience but is nonetheless deeply personal. Born in New Jersey in 1972, many of the figures and practices that define Lang’s work trace back to his youth. He had an early interest in skulls: inexplicably captivated by them, he started doodling skulls constantly in elementary school. Lang was also drawn to collecting early on, gathering ephemera (which he has referred to as ‘talismans’) such as toys, ads from comic books and novelty store catalogues. These objects and their imagery have become crucial source materials for Lang’s work, and he continues to dedicate significant time to locating such references. Working compulsively, Lang’s unique visual language fuses a range of influences, from Americana, sticker books and imagery of monsters to the work of Cy Twombly, Francis Bacon and Jean-Michel Basquiat. At times incorporating enigmatic text into his work, Lang encourages viewers to engage cognitively with his imagery and form meanings for themselves. At the heart of all Lang’s work are his spiritual interests – his connection to Tao Te Ching, the central Taoist text, and the lectures of Ram Dass. Lang refers to the former text as a manual of how to live and maintains that acceptance of death is the only way to be completely alive and present. This fundamental belief underscores his iconographies, which aim to remind his viewers of what they can achieve in life in the short time they have, and encourages them to believe in themselves. Lang’s work can be found in notable international collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Damien Hirst’s collection. He lives and works in Los Angeles.

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