Bex Wilkinson
Biography
The personal is the political. The political is the psychological. The psychological is the spiritual. They are all intertwined.
Art should rattle the soul. Art is always a statement: of a time, of a place, of thoughts, of a space.
Growing up in Chicago surrounded by the work of Chicago Artists that my parents’ collected. Theodore Halkin, Irving Petlin, and Seymour Resofsky permeated my growing psyche. Images of ghouls jumping out of graves, of primitive heads and Paleolithic-like oils hung on our walls. Art was not there to endear or quell the senses, but to challenge the viewer into looking more deeply into the mysteries of existence. Life and Death: these were the visual subjects that surrounded me in my childhood.
As I grew as an artist I resonated with the early German and French Expressionists. Max Beckman, George Groz, Vincent Van Gogh who all projected haunting images of what existed beneath the surface of social graces: greed, ignorance, gluttony and isolation. I gravitated towards these images because I, too, saw the world in these terms. I viewed the “underbelly” of society; Jung’s Shadow, and the inevitability of the nature of Impermanence. I became infatuated with the life story of Frida Khalo- her dual nature of love and pain. I read Herman Hesse’s novels about the struggle between light and dark. The Tibetan Book of the Dead became my pathway towards the circle of life and death, the yin and the yang, the alchemical ouroboros. The symbol of the Mandala became, for me, an image of circulating karma that never ends. AT the same time I embraced, the humorous circus in which we all engage in order to avoid the inevitable.
The deal was sealed when my father died unexpectedly, when I was age 20, of a cardiac arrest. I witnessed his journey into death through six weeks in a coma. Then life set in, and I attended to house dweller deeds as an adult becoming a mother - the most enchanting creation of all. I put down the paintbrush to attend to daily life rituals.
Twenty years went by, and then, when my Beloved took his own life with a gun, I returned to art like a parachute to safety. Art became a refuge in which to land in the misdst of a world of games and madness.
What’s your background?
I originally studied painting as an undergraduate at Sarah Lawrence College in NYC. After graduating I went to work in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and painted in a collective of artists called "The Button Factory." Here I worked on painting, art performance and wood block printing. After a summer course at Rhode Island School of Design, I moved to Providence to study as an adjunct student with Professor Lenny Long who I met during the summer program. Later, I spent a semester at the Chicago Art Institute also studying as an adjunct student to increase my technical skills. I gave up painting when I was 25 years old and got an MA in Counseling Psychology. It wasn't until 6 1/2 years ago, when my spouse committed suicide that I returned to painting full time after many years of working in the entrepeneurial and non profit realm.
What does it mean to you to win the Collectors Art Prize?
Well, it's a wonderful honor! It definitely lets me know that I'm on the right path. Starting back as a painter in my 50's, one needs this kind of reinforcement! Actually, you need it when you are younger, but you know you have more time ahead of you!
What do you think is the role of art in the world today?
For me the role of an artist has always been the same- 2000 years ago to the present day. It's a mirror of where we stand as a society, and as a global planet. Years ago paintings were primarily of Christ's story in the Western Culture- it's everywhere. In every museum and cathedral on the planet (in the western world.) Today, the gamut is larger- We have so many things happening that the story is diverse. From the photographic beauty of nature to the conflictual nature of living in an everyday society- with mixed messages and information traveling at the speed of light. ARTISTS reflect the time in which they live. They're vision of it. From the most basic pieces to the masterpieces. That is what I do. It is not an option. It's a gift.
What would it be if you could change one thing about the art world?
I recently went to Art Basel in Miami. I was both attracted and repelled by the opulent wealth of the works presented. I had the good fortune to have a friend who got me an "insiders' pass." This allowed access to lounges and viewings that were not accessible to the general public. I was with a gallerist and we saw a Jean-Michael Basquiat piece. He asked me how much I thought it was worth. I said "Probably $450,000." It was an 11 x14 inch drawing. Very small and very simple. I asked him and he said, "I think $800,000." I asked the gallery and it was TWO MILLION DOLLARS! unbelievable. This kind of inflation of artists who were barely valued when they were alive really upsets me. Obviously, Van Gogh is the prime example. I'm not sure what I could change about it- but it becomes a commodity rather than an art piece. And this upsets me. Especially when the artist makes no money from it and often is dead.
What are your most significant professional achievements?
I started painting 6 1/2 years ago after my Beloved committed suicide. I started out of need and then I continued out of want. Since then, I have begun to show both nationally and globally. This year I will be in 8 shows in 12 months. So I feel as though I am making up for lost time, and that the Universe is supporting this. So I'm on fire and traveling and painting and thoroughly enjoying my newly found professional life in my 50's!
What do you wish to tell viewers about your work that might not come out explicitly? What do you hope to inspire with your artwork?
I ask the viewer, always, to not take things at face value. My art is, for me, a reflection of the underbelly of our society. I grew up admiring artists such as Frida Khalo (before she was all the rage!) and Vincent Van Gogh and the German Expressionists like Otto Dix and Max Beckman. A lesser known artist Maryan is starting to get traction. He was Polish and survived the Holocaust but not without severe mental anguish. Although I by no means suffer the same anguish as these people, I do have a sense of the emptiness of contemporary society and try to reveal THAT in my work. Sometimes it's pure angst. Sometimes it's tongue and cheek making fun of our world.
What advice would you give to the upcoming generation of artists?
Care about your work. Take it seriously. If you don't take it seriously, why should anyone else? Do the due diligence. Photograph your work professionally. Have a website that is impressive. Let people know that you are here to do your work.
In what direction would you like to see your career go in the next five years?
Since I am an "older" artist, I do set goals. In the next 5 years I would like to have 3-4 galleries soley representing me- nationally and globally. In 10 years I would like to have a retrospective of my work be shown somewhere. AND I'd love to live in France for a while!
Country United States
Website www.bexwilkinson.com
