Wes Lang

Art Brokerage: Wes Lang American Artist: the American West— serve as emblems in one way or another for freedom. His frenetic and sometimes manic paintings nod to carefully studied painters such as Twombly, Guston, Basquiat, and Kline. The American West weighs heavy in Lang's mind, a symbol of the American Dream where 'going west' represents the chance to reinvent oneself. Notions of reinvention and awakening resonate deeply with Lang, as frequent references to the Tao Te Ching and the lectures of Ram Dass are scattered throughout the work, revealing a central ethos that underlies the artist's complex iconography: the affirming power of belief in oneself. The repetition of images and phrases become ritualistic and operate like reaffirming mantras, reminders to "remain at your center" and "be here now." While Lang's iconography of skulls and other memento mori might, at first glance, seem to inspire hopelessness, deeper engagement with the work makes it clear that the larger purpose is to help people. To help them understand what they can achieve from life in the short duration they are here, provoking them to take a chance on themselves. To date, Lang has made his mark primarily on canvas and paper— though his practice extends to include cast bronze sculpture, collage, hotel stationary, fabric, glass and precious metals. Listings wanted.