Wes Aderhold’s deeply personal portraits present fragmented figures with a dysmorphic twist. His emotionally layered works are dense internal landscapes filled with tension and psychological dissonance, while caricatural elements and exaggerated eyes provide a humorous balance. His style features a dreamlike quality, enhanced by a contemporary approach. The incorporation of charcoal and oil pastel line work gives his figures a sense of confinement, as if struggling to control their own puppet strings. Themes of duality and generational trauma often emerge, especially in the frequent depiction of mother and child. As a self-taught artist, he skillfully showcases his understanding of realism while embracing imperfection.

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Through familiar imagery, he invites viewers in, and it is through the composition of these elements that the underlying tension arises. Wes Aderhold is an artist living and working in New York City. He is inspired by the ubiquitous difficulties of life and the underpinnings of being human.

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Exhibition: Internal | External