Tuesday, December 19th, 2024, 4 PM, East Hampton, NY
 
Join Joel Mesler for an exclusive tour of his studio in East Hampton, NY.
 
Deploying words and images, Joel Mesler draws from childhood memories and life experiences to create works that meld his private impressions with cultural touchstones. Often evoking his youth in 1980s Los Angeles, his signature artistic style is characterized by bold colors, stylized patterns, bright figuration, and unique calligraphic scripts. Calling to mind diverse influences—from the imagined jungles of Henri Rousseau to forms found in 20th-century decorative arts—Mesler’s works offer a wry, vulnerable examination of the place where personal and popular iconography convene. His visually polished works undergird his connection to the legacy of Pop Art, while his use of text places him in a lineage of artists including Ed Ruscha and Christopher Wool. 
 
Joel Mesler was born in 1974 in Los Angeles. He graduated from Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California, and received his MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1999. Subsequently, he worked as an artist and art dealer in Los Angeles and New York for two decades—opening his first gallery in Los Angeles’s Chinatown—and he became an early supporter of renowned artists including Henry Taylor and Rashid Johnson. While Mesler began painting in the early 2000s and continued throughout the decade, it was not until the mid-2010s that he committed to his practice. In 2014, the artist returned to drawing and painting—the practice representing a form of therapy. From this point, Mesler focused on honing his singular artistic voice, palette, and style. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Château La Coste, Aix-en-Provence (2024, forthcoming); Rockefeller Center, New York (2024, forthcoming); Long Museum, Shanghai (2023); David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles (2023, 2021); Cheim & Read, New York (2023); LGDR, Palm Beach and London (2022); Lévy Gorvy, Hong Kong (2021); Harper’s Books, New York (2020); and Simon Lee, London (2018). Mesler lives and works in East Hampton, New York.
 
Your contribution of $1,000 to the IFPDA Foundation is fully tax deductible to the extent of the law.
Each studio visit is limited to a total of five participants on a first-come basis.
Studio visits are non-refundable however you may transfer your visit to another guest by contacting [email protected].
 
Images courtesy of the artist and Brand X Editions.
 
Images:
1. Courtesy of the artist.
2. Joel Mesler, Candy Land 2023 51-color screenprint on Saunders Waterford Hi-White 300gsm paper (2 sheets) 51" x 80" overall image & paper 51" x 40" each image & paper ed. 45. Image courtesy Brand X Editions.
3. Joel Mesler, Solid Gold (Set of 2) 2022 7-color screenprint with hand-applied acrylic wash on 425gsm Saunders Waterford paper 22" x 30" image & paper ed. 45. Image courtesy Brand X Editions.
4. Joel Mesler, Solid Gold (Set of 2) 2022 7-color screenprint with hand-applied acrylic wash on 425gsm Saunders Waterford paper 22" x 30" image & paper ed. 45. Image courtesy Brand X Editions.