Contemporary Currents: A Summer Showcase by wcc.art

Contemporary Currents

JUNE 29 - AUGUST 25

Contemporary Currents

West Chelsea Contemporary is proud to present Contemporary Currents: A Summer Showcase Featuring over twenty artists, this dynamic exhibition blends local and regional emerging talent with established national and international names. Drawing from our gallery’s diverse roster of artists and extensive 1,400-piece collection, each work has been thoughtfully curated to highlight the unique vision and cultural significance of our represented artists. Contemporary Currents offers a fresh perspective on the vibrant landscape of contemporary art. From art enthusiasts to seasoned collectors alike, don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the cutting-edge currents of today's art world.

Cey Adams

Simon Berger

Mr. Brainwash

Gil Bruvel

CRASH

Malene Heerup

Melody Hesaraky

JAZZ

Gary James McQueen

PhoebeNewYork

Sean Qualls

Blek le Rat

JM Rizzi

Bob Schneider

Mila Sketch

Peter Tunney

WCC EDITIONS

Cey Adams

Janette Beckman

Martha Cooper

CRASH x DAZE

Duel Diagnosis

Ron English

Shepard Fairey

Indie184

Matthew Trujillo

GARY LICHTENSTEIN EDITIONS

Doug Argue

Stanley Casselman

Robert Cottingham

Jason Newsted

CEY ADAMS American, b 1962

Cey Adams, a New York City native, emerged from the downtown graffiti movement to exhibit alongside artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. He appeared in the historic 1983 PBS documentary Style Wars, which tracks the rise of subway graffiti in New York. As the creative director of hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons’s Def Jam Recordings, he co-founded the Drawing Board, the label’s inhouse visual design firm, where he created visual identities, album covers, logos, and advertising campaigns for Run DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Notorious BIG, Maroon 5, and Jay-Z Adams has participated in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, MoCA, and more. His practice involves dismantling various imagery and paper elements to build multiple layers of color, texture, shadow, and light. Drawing inspiration from ’60s pop art, sign painting, and comic books, Adams’s work focuses on themes including pop culture, race and gender relations, and cultural and community issues.

Cey Adams Cey Adams x Levi's® | 150 YEARS OF QUALITY, 2023 Latex on Levi's® denim 60" x 57" $28,500

Adams SUNOCO, 2023

Mixed media collage on panel

36" x 36" $17,000

Cey Adams BRILLO, 2023

Mixed media collage on panel

36" x 36"

$17,000

Cey

Mixed media collage on panel

Cey Adams PARAMOUNT, 2023 48" x 48" $25,000

SIMON BERGER

Swiss, b 1976

calls “morphogenesis.”

Breaking new ground for his all at once sculptural and painterly technique, Berger has made a name for himself within the contemporary art scene Since making his first works on glass in 2017, Berger has participated in luxury collaborations and been invited to institutions and events worldwide. Notably, the artist partnered with the National Women’s History Museum to create a portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris in 2021 Later that year, Berger created works for the "We are Unbreakable" project, which honored the victims of the Beirut explosion in 2020. In the years to follow, Berger and his work have been showcased in solo exhibitions, group shows, and public installations around the world, including two of the most prominent glass art museums Vitromusée in Romont, Switzerland, and Murano Glass Museum in Venice, Italy.

Simon Berger Untitled, 2023 Hammered laminated safety glass 60" x 60" $33,600

Simon Berger

Untitled, 2023

Hammered laminated safety glass

60" x 60"

$33,600

Simon Berger

Untitled, 2023

Hammered laminated safety glass

60" x 60"

$33,600

Simon Berger

Untitled, 2023

Hammered laminated safety glass

60" x 60" $33,600

Simon Berger

Untitled, 2023

Hammered laminated safety glass

60" x 60"

$33,600

Simon Berger Tower, 2023 Hammered laminated safety glass 59 75" x 23 62" x 23 62" $75,000

MR. BRAINWASH

French, b 1966

A provocative figure in the world of street art, Mr Brainwash practices an irreverent brand of appropriation characterized by the use of copyrighted images from history, popular culture, and art history. The artist subtly alters the picture or its context, mischievously undermining the tone of the source material. Brainwash, a pseudonym for Thierry Guetta, is known for producing massive spectacles to display his art. He came to prominence through mounting large-scale public projects in his current home of Los Angeles and as the main figure in the Banksy-directed film Exit Through the Gift Shop His work hinges on the idea that anything is possible in his practice. “Art has no walls. Anybody can be an artist,” he says. “Art has no rules. There’s no manual.”

Stencil and mixed media on street signs, cement, wood, and brick panel

Mr. Brainwash Work Well Together, 2023 40" x 38 75" $67,000

Mr. Brainwash Smile, 2023

Silkscreen and mixed media on paper

30" x 22" $11,000

Mr. Brainwash

Brother's Advice, 2023

Silkscreen and mixed media on paper

36" x 36"

$19,600

Mr. Brainwash Banksy Thrower, 2023 Silkscreen and mixed media on street sign, cement, and wood 31" x 23 12" $46,000

Mr. Brainwash Balloon Girl, 2022 Neon lightbulb, stencil, and mixed media on canvas in plexiglass box 48" x 36" $71,500

Mr. Brainwash Balloon Girl, 2020 Spray paint on vintage canvas 20" x 24" $44,000

GIL BRUVEL

Australian, b 1959

Gil Bruvel’s artistic journey began early on in his life as the son of a renowned cabinetmaker. Growing in both age and skill, Bruvel focused on his desire to express himself and his own experiences. Bruvel’s creative intuition is advanced with a combination of modern and classical techniques that give his art features of striking precision With his vast understanding of fine art, Bruvel represents his unique style through a wide variety of mediums. Creating expressive form within multiple dimensions, Bruvel’s artwork is explorational, consistently evolving with the artist as he reimagines the world around him Gil Bruvel was born in Australia, but raised in the South of France. He currently resides in Wimberley, Texas. Represented by a host of galleries worldwide, Bruvel exhibits extensively and is the recipient of numerous awards.

Stacked wooden sticks and paint

Gil Bruvel Threshold, 2020 16" x 16" x 18" $17,250

Mask #137, 2021

Wood and paint 15 34" x 15 34" x 8 50"

$12,650

Mask #184, 2022

Wood and paint

16" x 16" x 8"

$12,650

Gil Bruvel Gil Bruvel

2022

Wood and paint

10" x 10" x 6"

$9,300

Mask #140, 2021

Wood and paint

19 34" x 20" x 12 14"

$20,700

Gil Bruvel Gil Bruvel Mask #258,

CRASH

American, b 1961

CRASH, born John Matos, began graffiti bombing at train yards in the Bronx at only 13. Taking the name “CRASH” after he accidentally crashed the computer in his school, his name began appearing on trains circulating all throughout New York City. By 1980, he began transitioning from train yards to galleries, curating the groundbreaking "Graffiti Art Success for America" at Fashion MODA that helped elevate the graffiti movement. CRASH’s career took off and he saw instant popularity throughout Europe and America, and eventually Asia. CRASH's work has been part of numerous exhibitions around the world and is in many permanent museum collections including the Brooklyn Museum and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. His visually iconic work has appeared in partnerships with Absolut Vodka, Fender Guitars, SoBella Handbags, Levi’s, and most recently, Tumi luggage and Morphik. He is the co-owner of contemporary art gallery WALLWORKS NEW YORK and the coowner of Wallworks TWO, a locally driven retail boutique, both in The Bronx.

Through Express, (7/20 AP), 2000

30 50" x 44"

CRASH Silkscreen on paper $2,600

CRASH

Raw Electricity, (5/25 AP), 1990 Silkscreen on Arches paper

40" x 31"

$2,500

CRASH

Untitled, (96/100), 2017 Silkscreen on paper

19 50" x 19 50"

$800

Untitled, #5, (3/8 AP), 2000

Silkscreen on paper

30" x 22"

$1,300

Dyre Avenue, (22/25), 2001

Silkscreen on paper

25 50" x 19 75"

$1,100

CRASH

American, b 1977

Malene Heerup was born into a family filled with Danish and internationally renowned artists and grew up with an innate ability to observe subtext, details, and motifs. “The greatest education in my life as an artist comes from growing up in a family full of three generations of artists. It was the most natural thing to relate to art by observing them at work and by listening to their conversations They stimulated my artistic vision, enabling me to see what lies behind and beneath. They breathed life into minute details transforming them into larger than-life experiences and emotions that slowly allowed the motifs to take shape visually and emotionally,” the artist explains. While living in NYC and attending the famous Parsons School of Design Malene found her artistic identity through the influence of the city, which included hard work and confidence in transcendence. “ … New York taught me to work and believe in wonders I draw my inspiration from a subconscious state where observations are molded by joy, humor and a desire to communicate using motifs, colors, shapes, and compositions to tell my story”. Malene is a prolific artist, producing many works of art each year. She is as comfortable in her studio as well as producing commissioned works for individuals and companies She is often invited to participate in art events as a producer or as an ambassador of art.

MALENE HEERUP

Malene Heerup Timeless in Tokyo, 2014 Oil and acrylic on canvas 47 25" x 58 75" $15,000

Malene Heerup Geisha, Girl with the Grey Eyes, 2011 Oil, gold, and acrylic on canvas 63" x 63" $16,000

Malene Heerup Man on Horse, Towards Sunset, 2014 Oil and acrylic on canvas 60" x 60" $16,000

MELODY HESARAKY

American

New York-based Textile Designer and artist; Melody Hearsay is in between the world of visual art, movement, music, and fashion. She is known for her paintings that are making a bridge between, art and music. Her work has been published in more than 20 magazines including KALTBLUT Magazine, FLAIR, Vanity Teen, and many more. From an early age, Melody has been involved in art through drawing and painting This impulse toward artistic creativity from early age nurtured deep inside her a kind of determination, that her prospective career must be connected to art and design She received her Bachelor's in 3D Design and Craft with honors from the University of Brighton, UK in 2014. And received her MFA in Textile Design for Fashion from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. In a world obsessed with speed, Hesaraky’s art invites you to stay still. Her meditative visual art and repetitive patterns inspired by sound, vibration, and energy encourage the viewer to be present and practice mindfulness.

Melody Hesaraky PEACE MAKERS, 2022 Ink, pen, and marker on giclée print 60" x 40" $17,000

Hesaraky Lullaby, 2022

Ink, pen, and marker on paper

20" x 16"

$2,700

The Warrior Within, 2022

Ink, pen, and marker on paper

20" x 16"

$2,700

Melody Hesaraky Melody

Melody Hesaraky City & Eyes, 2021 Ink, pen, and marker on giclée print 36" x 28" $8,900

Stephen Jaskulski, aka JAZZ, is a self-taught painter from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Now based in Los Angeles California, his work and his life are from his stream of consciousness. By letting his natural process unfold, Jazz analyzes the inner workings of himself and the world around him while allowing the paintings to flow uninterrupted His highest goal is finding a genuine connection with the viewer and to strike a cord deep in their soul, allowing them to find comfort or a feel a sense of familiarity. Jazz' mediums consist primarily of oil stick, oil paints, acrylics, and spray paint on canvas, wood, and paper JAZZ

American

Fully Submersed, 2023 Mixed media 50" x 42"

JAZZ $9,500

JAZZ Faith, 2023

Mixed media on canvas

50" x 40"

$9,500

JAZZ

Live Painting (Untitled), 2023

Mixed media on canvas

48" x 36"

$8,000

JAZZ

Live Painting (Untitled), 2023

Mixed media on canvas

48" x 36"

$8,000

JAZZ

What Its Worth, 2023

Mixed media on canvas

48" x 44"

$9,000

GARY JAMES MCQUEEN

British

Gary James McQueen was first introduced to the fashion industry by his late uncle Alexander “Lee” McQueen, who mentored and inspired him to be the artist he is today. Gary James McQueen’s first job was working in a print and typesetting firm where he learned about print production and taught himself to use illustration software Needing a break and a new job, he was invited to cut his teeth in fashion at Alexander McQueen’s menswear department where he worked for seven years and was promoted to head textile designer. “The way Lee built stories and how he combined ideas from different sources really influenced me He taught me how to build stories in a structured way.” As head textile designer for the Alexander McQueen MRTW, Gary James McQueen developed a niche of optical-illusion textile design, constantly pushing himself and the boundaries of what could be achieved using a 3D canvas as the basis He worked alongside Alexander McQueen up until his passing in 2010 and was entrusted with many personal projects, including the chrome skull artwork, which has become iconic as the face of the exhibition Savage Beauty: Alexander McQueen commemorating his life’s work. A love of storytelling has always been core to Gary James McQueen’s creative vision, and art provides a medium from which he can harness it. His work has been exhibited at London’s V&A, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, and at art galleries on both sides of the Atlantic to critical acclaim

The Laws of Nature (2/25), 2024

3D lenticular artwork

60" x 48"

$25,500

Gary James McQueen

Gary James McQueen

Botanic Kingdom - Gold, (2/25), 2023

3D lenticular artwork

48" x 48"

$25,500

Gary James McQueen

Botanic Kingdom - Gunmetal Black, (2/25), 2024

3D lenticular artwork

48" x 48"

$25,500

Gary James McQueen

Gilded Skull, (3/50), 2023

3D lenticular artwork

60" x 48"

$20,500

Gary James McQueen

Emerald Skull, (1/50), 2023

3D lenticular artwork

60" x 48"

$20,500

PHOEBENEWYORK

American

PhoebeNewYork, an alter ego character for Libby Schoettle, first came to life in collages created with found objects, including vintage photographs, magazine pages, clothing, as well as old books, record covers, and the occasional iconic pop art element. The artist is drawn to materials that have been owned and handled by others, materials that have been touched over time and that will remain intact over time (or not). From the streets of New York City to Philadelphia, Los Angeles, London, and Berlin, Schoettle reveals her own vulnerability, raw emotions, and witty observations through PhoebeNewYork‘s dark and funny explorations into love, feminism, political independence, and finding beauty in the mistaken. Libby and Pheobe have been featured in publications such as New York Magazine’s The Cut and Nylon and have been the subject of fashion collaborations with Victoria Beckham, Dr Marten’s, and Lululemon, among others

PhoebeNewYork

Rock It, 2022

Mixed media collage

38 75" x 23 50"

$12,000

PhoebeNewYork Is It Me, 2022

Mixed media collage

19 5" x 23 5"

$5,750

PhoebeNewYork

You Deserve It All, 2022

Mixed media collage

23 5" x 19 75"

$5,900

PhoebeNewYork Keep Dreaming, 2022 Mixed media collage 39" x 20 50" $11,000

SEAN QUALLS

American

Sean Qualls is an award-winning, Brooklyn-based, children's book illustrator, artist, and author. Qualls' books and illustrations often explore history and non-fiction subjects. His fine art focuses on race & identity and the intersection of history & mythology, ultimately examining how we create our own identities or allow them to be scripted for us Together, his paintings and illustrations reveal simultaneously unique and universal moments of the human spirit. Qualls has illustrated Emmanuel's Dream (Schneider Award recipient) written by Laurie Ann Thompson, Giant Steps to Change the World written by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee and Before John Was a Jazz Giant (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor) written by Carole Boston Weatherford, among many others. Qualls lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Greater Than Cotton, 2018

Acrylic, newspaper, paper and pencil

27 50" x 40 50"

$6,500

Sean Qualls

Sean Qualls

Seven of Seven Muses, 2022

Acrylic, newspaper, paper, and pencil

6" x 6"

$800

Sean Qualls

Inner Magic 7, 2022

Acrylic, newspaper, paper and pencil

30" x 19"

$3,000

Sean Qualls Black Zeus #6, 2022 Acrylic, newspaper, paper and pencil 24" x 24" $3,200

BLEK LE RAT

French, b 1951

Blek Le Rat, born Xavier Prou in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, was one of the very first graffiti artists in Paris and has been described as the “Father of Stencil Graffiti” Blek was first introduced to graffiti during a trip to New York City in 1971 where he was inspired to bring the style back to Paris, adapting the stencil as a more fitting technique for French architecture He is best known for stenciling a giant graphic image of a rat all over Paris in the early 1980s, which to him symbolized both freedom and the dissemination of art through the city as if it were the plague. Blek, who has influenced generations of urban artists around the world, boasts a subtle social commitment and considers his images as a gift he gives to the city. His works often represent solitary individuals that can be encountered in the urban space–women, children, the elderly, and a diverse range of contemporary characters. In a desire to bring the people of the city closer to art, he quotes the great classics such as Caravaggio, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. “I would like to bring the characters out of museums to return them to the people of the city.” His street art has appeared in cities across the world, and he has exhibited in New York, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, and beyond

Blek le Rat Danseuse Couleurs, 2022 Acrylic and aerosol on linen 63 50" x 49 50" $49,800

Blek le Rat

8 Dancers, 2021

Acrylic and spray paint on linen

51 13" x 39 13" $42,500

Blek le Rat

9 Ballerina Pink, 2021

Acrylic and spray paint on linen

51" x 39 50"

$43,800

Blek le Rat

4 Danseuse Colour, 2021

Acrylic and spray paint on linen

63.75" x 52.06"

$52,500

Blek le Rat

Danseuse Blue, 2022

Acrylic and aerosol on linen

63" x 49 12"

$47,800

JM RIZZI

American

JM Rizzi is a Brooklyn-born and Dallas-based artist working in large-scale murals, public sculpture installations, and mixed-media canvases. A gestural expressionist since he started writing graffiti as a teenager in 1990s NYC, Rizzi’s ever-growing conceptual practice explores the multitudinous angles to abstraction through illegal art forms and movement He has painted murals from Rockefeller Center to Boras, Sweden, and Shenzen, China. Rizzi most recently celebrated limited-run collections with Infinite Objects and Detroit-based 1xRun. Rizzi’s practice skips, slides, and glides across surfaces, leaving polished paintings in its wake His work's journey started last millennium with a looping trail of spray paint that caught a life of its own and never looked back. Rizzi's paintings are exchanges between sight and sound, encapsulating inspirations like jazz music, Motherwell, Wu-Tang Clan and Texas sunsets These brazen arrangements ask questions only to answer them moments later an animated conversation between positive and negative space facilitated by rhythm.

JM Rizzi Swung From the Vibes, 2023 Ink on canvas 66" x 112" $28,000

JM Rizzi Vestige, 2024 Plaster, acrylic, ink, and spray paint on canvas 40" x 30" $6,400

JM Rizzi Tondo Relic, 2023 Plaster, acrylic, ink, and spray paint on canvas 42" x 42" $8,000

JM Rizzi Magical Zeus, 2024 Plaster, acrylic, ink, and spray paint on canvas 30" x 40" $7,200

BOB SCHNEIDER

American, b 1965

Bob Schneider is an artist who transforms found visual media into thoughtprovoking works of art that challenge the viewer's perceptions of contemporary and popular culture. He juxtaposes iconic figures from comic books and other mass media and places them in everyday situations, leaving the viewer to interpret the meaning of the artwork By appropriating old and valuable books, often intended for mass consumer consumption, Schneider creates something unique and personal for each viewer. Schneider's art invites the viewer to participate in the interpretation of his work, creating a personal and individualized experience for each person The seeming simplicity of his pieces allows the viewer to focus on the larger picture and meaning behind the artwork. Schneider grew up and studied fine art in Germany before moving to the States where he was a fine arts major at the University of Texas In addition to his work as an artist, Schneider is also a celebrated singersongwriter. His music, like his art, blends different elements and influences to create something unique and engaging.