Catalog
News
Please Stay Home
The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts is pleased to present Please Stay Home, an exhibition featuring the work of Darrel Ellis, Leslie Hewitt, and Wardell Milan. An additional contextual installation will include photographs by the artist’s father, Thomas Ellis, and close friend, artist Allen Frame. Centered on a less recognized body of Ellis’s work and featuring new commissions by Hewitt and Milan, Please Stay Home is guest-curated by Makeda Best, Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography at the Harvard Art Museums. On veiw from Feburary 3rd - April 9th 2023.
The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts is pleased to present Please Stay Home, an exhibition featuring the work of Darrel Ellis, Leslie Hewitt, and Wardell Milan. An additional contextual installation will include photographs by the artist’s father, Thomas Ellis, and close friend, artist Allen Frame. Centered on a less recognized body of Ellis’s work and featuring new commissions by Hewitt and Milan, Please Stay Home is guest-curated by Makeda Best, Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography at the Harvard Art Museums. On veiw from Feburary 3rd - April 9th 2023.
Lux et Veritas
The exhibition Lux et Veritas explores a transformative period in contemporary art by focusing on a generation of artists of color who attended Yale School of Art for graduate studies between 2000 and 2010. The exhibition’s title alludes to Yale University’s motto, Lux et Veritas, which translates from Latin to “Light and Truth.” In the context of this exhibition, the title references how these artists thought with critical complexity about their work and their movement through institutional structures.
On view from April 2nd - Janurary 8th 2023
The exhibition Lux et Veritas explores a transformative period in contemporary art by focusing on a generation of artists of color who attended Yale School of Art for graduate studies between 2000 and 2010. The exhibition’s title alludes to Yale University’s motto, Lux et Veritas, which translates from Latin to “Light and Truth.” In the context of this exhibition, the title references how these artists thought with critical complexity about their work and their movement through institutional structures.
On view from April 2nd - Janurary 8th 2023
5 Indices On A Toutured Body
Over the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023, the Benton Musem of Art presents Milan’s recent work in two distinct but related presentations: five monumental billboards on the campus of Pomona College, and four large works on paper in the entrance foyer of the museum.
The billboards—Milan’s first outdoor campus-based project—lead the viewer on a journey through the college. Inspired by the work of the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy, they offer a sustained meditation on the marginalized body, one for each billboard: the quarantined body, the Black body, the migrant body, the female body, and the trans body.
Over the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023, the Benton Musem of Art presents Milan’s recent work in two distinct but related presentations: five monumental billboards on the campus of Pomona College, and four large works on paper in the entrance foyer of the museum.
The billboards—Milan’s first outdoor campus-based project—lead the viewer on a journey through the college. Inspired by the work of the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy, they offer a sustained meditation on the marginalized body, one for each billboard: the quarantined body, the Black body, the migrant body, the female body, and the trans body.
Wardell Milan:Amerika. God Bless You If Its Good To you.
Curated by Holly Block Social Justice Curator, Jasmine Wahi, the survey is part of a year-long series celebrating the Bronx Museum’s 50th anniversary and legacy as an institution dedicated to social justice.
The themes and subject matter in Milan’s work oscillate between reflections on current world events and a deeply personal meditation on his own daily life, and touch on such topics as gender performance, the unconscious, and the ideals of beauty.
The themes and subject matter in Milan’s work oscillate between reflections on current world events and a deeply personal meditation on his own daily life, and touch on such topics as gender performance, the unconscious, and the ideals of beauty.
Dawoud Bey, John Edmonds, Wardell Milan I Art Gallery of Ontario
Wardell Milan’s work is featured in an exhibition at The Art Gallery of Ontario’s alongside John Edmonds and Dawoud Bey. The show will be on view from October 31st 2020 - April 18th 2021.
Wardell Milan: New Social Environment Lunchtime Conversation #87
Join Wardell Milan as discusses his body of work and creative life with writer, collector, editor, and radio broadcaster Alvin Hall on the Brooklyn Rail’s lunchtime conversation hour.
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum Platform 24: Wardell Milan, Sunday, Sitting on the Bank of Butterfly Meadow
For this platform rotation, New York-based artist Wardell Milan adapts one of his lush, intricate photo-dioramas to a monumental scale.
Wardell Milan’s work is featured in an exhibition at The Art Gallery of Ontario’s alongside John Edmonds and Dawoud Bey. The show will be on view from October 31st 2020 - April 18th 2021.
Wardell Milan: New Social Environment Lunchtime Conversation #87
Join Wardell Milan as discusses his body of work and creative life with writer, collector, editor, and radio broadcaster Alvin Hall on the Brooklyn Rail’s lunchtime conversation hour.
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum Platform 24: Wardell Milan, Sunday, Sitting on the Bank of Butterfly Meadow
For this platform rotation, New York-based artist Wardell Milan adapts one of his lush, intricate photo-dioramas to a monumental scale.
In the Artist’s Studio
Join Wardell Milan as he discusses his new show and continued body of work on the intimacies of white supremacy with Elena Gross on The Museum of the African Diaspora’s artist talk series.
Nine Black Artists and Cultural Leaders on Seeing and Being Seen
Wardell Milan joins Amy Sherald, Michael R. Jackson, Tschabalala Self, Renée Cox, Calida Rawles, Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels, Rashid Johnson, and Mary Lovelace O’Neal in discussing the challenges of working within and dismantling white institutions in the New York Times Style Magazine.
Art Institute of Chicago
Artist Talk: Wardell Milan
Join New York-based artist Wardell Milan for a talk at the Art Institute of Chicago on October 24th, about his life and his work, which combines elements of photography, drawing, painting, and collage.
Join Wardell Milan as he discusses his new show and continued body of work on the intimacies of white supremacy with Elena Gross on The Museum of the African Diaspora’s artist talk series.
Nine Black Artists and Cultural Leaders on Seeing and Being Seen
Wardell Milan joins Amy Sherald, Michael R. Jackson, Tschabalala Self, Renée Cox, Calida Rawles, Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels, Rashid Johnson, and Mary Lovelace O’Neal in discussing the challenges of working within and dismantling white institutions in the New York Times Style Magazine.
Art Institute of Chicago
Artist Talk: Wardell Milan
Join New York-based artist Wardell Milan for a talk at the Art Institute of Chicago on October 24th, about his life and his work, which combines elements of photography, drawing, painting, and collage.
Death, Wine, Revolt: Nonsense of the World
For his second solo show at Fraenkel Gallery, Wardell continues his series “Death, Wine, Revolt” to explore themes of over-indulgence, destruction, and revolution. This series, in turn, is an expansion of Wardell Milan’s response to the global turmoil of this moment.
Death, Wine, Revolt: Uneventful Days
For his third solo exhibition with David Nolan Gallery, and the first in Los Angeles, Wardell Milan introduces a new body of work that synthesizes previous formal and cultural concerns. In exploring the daily lives of white nationalists - depicting their morning rituals, social gatherings and in their most intimate moments - Milan reveals the banality of hate. The show will be on view from February 9-22 2020.
Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant Program 2019
Wardell recently received a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors grant. Over the last 26 years, the Painters & Sculptors Grants have supported more than 500 artists in communities across the US, often at crucial times in their career.
For his second solo show at Fraenkel Gallery, Wardell continues his series “Death, Wine, Revolt” to explore themes of over-indulgence, destruction, and revolution. This series, in turn, is an expansion of Wardell Milan’s response to the global turmoil of this moment.
Death, Wine, Revolt: Uneventful Days
For his third solo exhibition with David Nolan Gallery, and the first in Los Angeles, Wardell Milan introduces a new body of work that synthesizes previous formal and cultural concerns. In exploring the daily lives of white nationalists - depicting their morning rituals, social gatherings and in their most intimate moments - Milan reveals the banality of hate. The show will be on view from February 9-22 2020.
Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant Program 2019
Wardell recently received a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors grant. Over the last 26 years, the Painters & Sculptors Grants have supported more than 500 artists in communities across the US, often at crucial times in their career.
Index
WM01
David M., 2011
Cut-and-paste paper
14.25 x 12.75 in
Cut-and-paste paper
14.25 x 12.75 in
WM02
Happy Together. In the Mood for Love, 2023
Charcoal, acrylic, graphite, China marker, cut-and-paste paper on hand-dyed paper.
40 x 50 in
40 x 50 in
WM03
Pissing on the heads of insurgents, 2023
Charcoal, graphite, ink, China marker, cut-and-paste paper on yupo.
11 x 14 in
Charcoal, graphite, ink, China marker, cut-and-paste paper on yupo.
11 x 14 in
WM04
3 Tulips (I), 2022
Charcoal, graphite, oil on board
30 x 24 in
Charcoal, graphite, oil on board
30 x 24 in
WM05
A report from an unoccupied territory no. 1, 2022
Charcoal, graphite, color pencil, gesso, acrylic, pastel, cut and pasted paper on hand.
Framed: 77.5 x 115 in
Charcoal, graphite, color pencil, gesso, acrylic, pastel, cut and pasted paper on hand.
Framed: 77.5 x 115 in
WM06
Mistress Yin dominating a Proud Boy., 2023
Charcoal, graphite, ink, China marker, cut-and-paste paper on yupo.
11 x 14 in
Charcoal, graphite, ink, China marker, cut-and-paste paper on yupo.
11 x 14 in
WM07
3 Tulips (III), 2022
Charcoal, graphite, oil on board
Framed: 26 x 20
Charcoal, graphite, oil on board
Framed: 26 x 20
WM08
Michael Ross, 2018
cut-and-paste paper
11 x 8 1/2 in.
cut-and-paste paper
11 x 8 1/2 in.
WM09
Asa, in Botanical Garden, NYC., 2023
Charcoal, acrylic, graphite, China Marker
Cut-and-paste paper on silver leaf on paper
40x30 in
Charcoal, acrylic, graphite, China Marker
Cut-and-paste paper on silver leaf on paper
40x30 in
WM10
Troy J.B., New York City, 2021
Plaster
30 x 33x 20 inches
Plaster
30 x 33x 20 inches
WM11
White Camellia (Knight I), 2020
Charcoal, graphite, oil on board
24 x 30 in
Charcoal, graphite, oil on board
24 x 30 in
WM12
King Musa and King Zulus training for battle., 2020
Charcoal, pastel, oil pastel, graphite, color pencil, cut-and-paste paper on paper
40 x 50 in.
Charcoal, pastel, oil pastel, graphite, color pencil, cut-and-paste paper on paper
40 x 50 in.
WM13
Miss Floral Pageant, 2015.
Digital C-print.
48 x 72 in.
Digital C-print.
48 x 72 in.
WM14
Sisyphus Ascending a Staircase, 2022
Aquatint burnishing line etching open bite scraping soap ground aquatint soft ground etching spit bite aquatint sugar lift aquatint on Hahnemühle Bütten 300g
Aquatint burnishing line etching open bite scraping soap ground aquatint soft ground etching spit bite aquatint sugar lift aquatint on Hahnemühle Bütten 300g
WM15
Two warriors looking for Euphoria, 2019.
Charcoal, graphite, gesso, etching ink, cut and pasted paper on ink jet print.
43 x 58 in.
Charcoal, graphite, gesso, etching ink, cut and pasted paper on ink jet print.
43 x 58 in.
WM16
Hood Politics: Institutionalized, sucking BBC, 2020.
Graphite on yupo, cut and pasted paper on printed paper.
11 1/4 x 11 in.
Graphite on yupo, cut and pasted paper on printed paper.
11 1/4 x 11 in.
WM17
Tristen, 2018.
Charcoal, graphite, pastel, oil pastel, acrylic paint, cut and paste paper on hand dyed paper.
45 5/8 x 33 1/4 in
Charcoal, graphite, pastel, oil pastel, acrylic paint, cut and paste paper on hand dyed paper.
45 5/8 x 33 1/4 in
WM18
Knight of the White Camelia no. 2, 2020.
Charcoal, graphite, China marker, pastel, oil pastel, and oil paint on panel.
24 x 30 in.
Charcoal, graphite, China marker, pastel, oil pastel, and oil paint on panel.
24 x 30 in.
WM19
Pulse, 2019
Charcoal, graphite, pastel, oil pastel, acrylic paint, cut and pasted paper on hand.
Charcoal, graphite, pastel, oil pastel, acrylic paint, cut and pasted paper on hand.
WM20
Knight of the White Camelia no. 1, 2020
Charcoal, graphite, china marker, pastel, oil pastel, and oil paint on panel.
24 x 30 in.
Charcoal, graphite, china marker, pastel, oil pastel, and oil paint on panel.
24 x 30 in.
WM21
Noelle A.T., New York City, 2023
Plaster
31.5 x 24 x 15 in
Plaster
31.5 x 24 x 15 in
WM22
Noelle A.T., New York City, 2023
Plaster
31.5 x 24 x 15 in
Plaster
31.5 x 24 x 15 in
WM23
King Kunta and two Mortal Men in Paradise, 2019.
Charcoal, graphite, gesso, etching ink, cut and pasted paper on ink jet print.
43 x 58in.
Charcoal, graphite, gesso, etching ink, cut and pasted paper on ink jet print.
43 x 58in.
WM24
The Timmerman’s Kitchen, New Canaan, CT, 2020.
Charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, pastel, oil stick, cut-and-pasted paper on hand dyed paper.
60 x 75 1/2 in.
Charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, pastel, oil stick, cut-and-pasted paper on hand dyed paper.
60 x 75 1/2 in.
WM25
My knees getting weak, and my anger my anger might explode, but if God got us then we gonna be alright, 2021.
Charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, oil pastel, china marker, pastel, cut and pasted paper on hand dyed paper.
51 x 59 1/2 in.
Charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, oil pastel, china marker, pastel, cut and pasted paper on hand dyed paper.
51 x 59 1/2 in.
WM26
Bill T. Jones, 2018.
Cut and pasted printed paper.
11 x 8 1/2 in
Cut and pasted printed paper.
11 x 8 1/2 in
WM27
Trump riding his own dick, 2019
Aquatint, burnishing line etching, soft ground etching, spit bite aquatint, sugar lift aquatint on Hahnemühle Bütten 300g
Aquatint, burnishing line etching, soft ground etching, spit bite aquatint, sugar lift aquatint on Hahnemühle Bütten 300g
WM28
I can’t carry you, you are going to make me fall, 2019.
Charcoal, graphite, pastel, acrylic paint, oil pastel, cut and pasted paper on hand dyed paper.
41 3/4 x 29 1/2 in.
Charcoal, graphite, pastel, acrylic paint, oil pastel, cut and pasted paper on hand dyed paper.
41 3/4 x 29 1/2 in.
WM29
King Kunta and two Mortal Men in Paradise, 2019.
Charcoal, graphite, gesso, etching ink, cut and pasted paper on ink jet print.
43 x 58in.
Charcoal, graphite, gesso, etching ink, cut and pasted paper on ink jet print.
43 x 58in.
WM30
The most dangerous thing about being a Black woman in America. Is being a Black woman in America, 2022
Aquatint, burnishing, line etching, scraping, soft ground etching, spit bite aquatint, sugar lift aquatint on Hahnemühle Bütten 300g
Aquatint, burnishing, line etching, scraping, soft ground etching, spit bite aquatint, sugar lift aquatint on Hahnemühle Bütten 300g
WM31
I’m trying to keep the faith, 2017
Digital C-print
44 x 98 in.
Digital C-print
44 x 98 in.
WM32
Knight of the White Camelia no. 3, 2020
Charcoal, graphite, China marker, pastel, oil paint on panel
24 x 30in
Charcoal, graphite, China marker, pastel, oil paint on panel
24 x 30in
WM33
Our Lives to Live, 2022
Aquatint, burnishing, line etching, scraping, soap ground aquatint, spit bite aquatint, sugar lift aquatint on Hahnemühle Bütten 300g
Aquatint, burnishing, line etching, scraping, soap ground aquatint, spit bite aquatint, sugar lift aquatint on Hahnemühle Bütten 300g
Biography
DOWNLOAD CV (PDF)
Wardell Milan (b. 1977, Knoxville, Tennessee)
Building upon a conceptual foundation in photography, Wardell Milan’s practice encompasses drawing, collage, and painting to explore ideas of the body, beauty, and the unconscious. His multi-media works often reference and incorporate the imagery of artists such as Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andres Serrano, and Eugene Richards.
Through cut-paper and collage techniques, he constructs striking human subjects with reclaimed photographic elements, contending with the medium’s visual lineage and its claims to representation.
These composite, fragmented figures inhabit ambiguous landscapes of painted abstraction, navigating themselves through recontextualized historical and contemporary environments.
Through them, the body—the physical, the psychological, and the photographic body—is understood as a multi-faceted, intersecting site of gender, race, sexuality, and history.
Building upon a conceptual foundation in photography, Wardell Milan’s practice encompasses drawing, collage, and painting to explore ideas of the body, beauty, and the unconscious. His multi-media works often reference and incorporate the imagery of artists such as Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andres Serrano, and Eugene Richards.
Through cut-paper and collage techniques, he constructs striking human subjects with reclaimed photographic elements, contending with the medium’s visual lineage and its claims to representation.
These composite, fragmented figures inhabit ambiguous landscapes of painted abstraction, navigating themselves through recontextualized historical and contemporary environments.
Through them, the body—the physical, the psychological, and the photographic body—is understood as a multi-faceted, intersecting site of gender, race, sexuality, and history.
Contact
Wardell Milan
43-01 22nd Street, Suite 252
Long Island City, NY 11101
info@wardellmilan.com
Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
530 W 22nd Street t
New York, NY 10011
www.sikkemajenkinsco.com
www.gallery@sikkemajenkinsco.com
Fraenkel Gallery
49 Geary Street, 4th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108
www.fraenkelgallery.com
mail@fraenkelgallery.com
43-01 22nd Street, Suite 252
Long Island City, NY 11101
info@wardellmilan.com
Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
530 W 22nd Street t
New York, NY 10011
www.sikkemajenkinsco.com
www.gallery@sikkemajenkinsco.com
Fraenkel Gallery
49 Geary Street, 4th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108
www.fraenkelgallery.com
mail@fraenkelgallery.com