By Ben Weiner
Located in Greenwich, CT
Gel Monochrome #6 is an oil painting on prepared paper, sheet size 22 x 14.75 inches, signed, titled and dated verso, 'Ben Weiner Gel Monochrome #6 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.
"The Gel Series presents a virtual environment that is in flux. Based on hair gel, a material that is physically malleable and visually enticing, it has the ability to change one’s physical appearance. In an abstract manner, the painting reflects our current global environment, subject to constant, dramatic change and rapid development- on the one hand through humanity’s ability to alter the face of the earth according to its ideas; on the other through changing environmental conditions and natural disasters". - 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...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Paintings