Ben Weiner
Oceanic Pearls
2019

Name: Oceanic Pearls
Brand: Ben Weiner
Price: 4950 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Oceanic Pearls is an oil painting on prepared paper, sheet size 15.75 x 22 inches, signed, titled and dated verso, 'Ben Weiner Oceanic Pearls 2019' and framed in a contemporary white frame. Connecting two opposing styles—abstraction and photorealism—Ben Weiner creates hyper-detailed, lush paintings and videos of extremely magnified consumer products, including hair gel, chemical food additives, and deodorant. In his work, he presents such meticulously rendered, close-up views of his subjects that they read as pure abstractions. A through-line in Weiner’s various bodies of work is contemporary culture’s obsession with bodily enhancement through chemical products—whether by using hair products or taking illegal drugs. "My paintings of pearls and hair gel merge varied notions of art as creation with biological and mythological concepts of creation. Visually, the pearls seem to emerge from the hair gel, suggesting biological processes such as cellular division, or the primordial soup that preceded life on earth. The all-over, abstract qualities of the hair gel recall the abstract expressionists’ concepts of the sublime art object and art as a transcendent act of creation. Additionally, the pearl itself is a naturally produced object of profound beauty. I use it to symbolize my understanding of creation as a feminine power, intrinsically linked to beauty (as in Boticelli’s The Birth of Venus). Finally, the pearls are an ode to Audrey Flack, one of my early artistic influences." - Ben Weiner Ben Charles Weiner (b. 1980) is a New York based contemporary artist. His work bridges the seemingly opposite styles of hyperrealism, and process-based abstraction. Mr. Weiner has exhibited his work widely in the US and internationally, at institutions including The Carnegie Art Museum, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, The Boca Raton Museum of Art, and The Tarble Art Center. His work is in public collections including Microsoft, Sammlung/Collection, Progressive Insurance, and The Frederick R. Weisman Collection. It has been covered in publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, W Magazine, Interview Magazine, Artsy, Vogue, and The Huffington Post. Early in his career, Weiner worked closely with the artist Jeff Koons as an assistant, and studied under Mexican muralist Jose Lascarro.

Creator:

Ben Weiner (1980, American)

Creation Year:

2019

Dimensions:

Height: 25.25 in (64.14 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)

Medium:

Paper,Oil

Movement & Style:

Photorealist

Period:

21st Century

Condition:

Excellent condition, no prior ownership.

Gallery Location:

Greenwich, CT

Reference Number:

Seller: 2011stDibs: LU2664213435902

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Ben Weiner

Ben Weiner is a New York based contemporary artist, living and working in Queens. His work bridges the seemingly opposite styles of hyperrealism, and process-based abstraction. By using products from his daily routines as his medium (such as paint, jewelry, medications and cosmetics), Ben Weiner maps out a picture of himself as the sum of his habits. His large-scale paintings and drawings address contemporary culture’s obsession with bodily enhancement through chemical products, whether by using cosmetics, consuming energy drinks or taking illegal drugs. Weiner has described his process with medications and drugs as a “material embodiment of altered perception.” These series invoke the shifting cultural/legal status of drugs, and post-Covid anxieties surrounding mortality and mental health — issues that Weiner understands well coming from a family of medical professionals. Weiner often titles his works using a mixture of Spanish and English, reflecting the influence of his mixed ethnic background upon his practice of material translation. This influence extends back to his family’s fiber craft traditions of Puerto Rican Mundillo weaving and quilting, all of which inform his creation of works that assert formalism’s relation to the personal. Weiner studied painting under muralist José Lazcarro Toquero at La Universidad de las Americas (Mexico), before completing his BA at Wesleyan University (CT). His work has been exhibited widely within the US and internationally, at institutions including The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, The Tarble Art Center, The Carnegie Art Museum, ArtSpace, La Gruta (CDMX), and The Boca Raton Museum of Art. Weiner has been included in recent gallery exhibitions at 56 Henry, Ochi Gallery, Below Grand, Grey Area, Hunted Projects, and Mark Moore Gallery. His work is represented in various public collections, including Microsoft, Sammlung, Progressive Insurance, and The Frederick R. Weisman Collection. He has been featured in publications including Artforum, Artnews, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, W Magazine, Interview Magazine, Artsy, and Vogue.