Wes Aderhold | Putting Yourself on Display

Wes Aderhold. “Self-Portrait #1”. Acrylic, Oil Pastel and Spray Paint on Stretched Canvas. 60x72in. Courtesy of the artist.

There’s always something terrifying about sharing a piece of ourselves with others. Maybe it’s a new outfit, a creative pursuit, or a new aspect of your identity. Whatever it may be, we must navigate what it means to be ourselves without being utterly terrified. For Wes Aderhold, these are the feelings that drive him. The young artist has mastered the feeling of vulnerability, understanding the importance of putting yourself on display, literally. With a new exhibition of self-portraits, Aderhold has grown in his journey as an artist to discover what it means to examine his own identity through painting. 

Drawing nearly his whole life, art has been an escape for Aderhold to connect not only with himself but the world around him. Wes has used his craft as a way to balance his pleasure with work, finding what it means to please others, yet staying true to himself. Aderhold’s art transcends off the page, forcing viewers to dive deep and reflect on who they really are. With emotional intensity, humility, and genuine passion, the artist has succeeded in creating work that truly affects those around him. 

Flaunt had the pleasure to catch up with Aderhold to discuss his new show curated by Alex DiJulio of Eric Firestone Gallery in East Hampton. 

Tell me about yourself, how long have you been an artist?

When I was younger, I used to draw all the time– that was my thing. Before I knew who I was and had any self-awareness, I would always draw and it became my escape. It became this dialogue that I had with myself in my own little language, through that, I think I could find my identity. I didn't grow up in an art family, I didn't grow up with a lot of art appreciation. So everything that I learned and acquired, I just had to teach myself. But I always had this thirst, this unquenchable desire to create and learn about art. And so I just would take in as much as I possibly could. And I just fell in love with it

So you started off by drawing…how and why did you find that shift to painting?

I think there was just a different way to be able to communicate with painting. I think my drawings are my most immediate, like authentic instincts, but then it’s fun to realize them and see them out to fulfillment with a painting. With drawing, I could just use a pen or a pencil, and I didn't have to think in color. And then I realized there's such a beautiful way of storytelling and conveying emotion and story and narrative with color as well as just the content of the piece. And so that's when I decided to pick up some paintbrushes.

How do you find like the line between pleasure and work? Do you feel like you make work for yourself? Or do you feel like you're making work for others? 

I think in the beginning, I started creating solely for myself, you know, I was just creating what I felt was truest to me. And I think there's a piece of that, that I've always had to hold on to. So I always try to think in terms of what I want to paint what I want to say and not in terms of money or selling or career because a lot of that is completely out of my hands. It's completely out of whoever's representing these hands some of the time. On the one hand, if I think in a business mind, it's a completely different switch for me. And then I find myself tailoring what I'm painting to what I think people want, which is kind of how I have lived a lot of my early life. And so it's kind of like beautiful symbolism. And I'm so glad that you asked that question because I'm able to be true to myself to say what I want to say and so there's a piece of that that I always try to hold on to.

So, speaking of work, you’ve got a new gallery coming up in the Hamptons. Tell me about it!

Alex DiJulio of Eric Firestone Gallery and Neo Verdun, who's this incredible photographer, have pulled together this show because they wanted to bring queer art to The Hamptons. So, this series that I'm bringing out there is my interpretation of self portraits. And it's a departure from my last show. Because with this, I really wanted to hone in and be super laser focused on what I was trying to say. With the self portraits, I found that I really wanted to examine self identity, perception, the conflict and tension between physical and psychological. And I think the easiest way to do that for the viewer, is to just put myself on display. And so I've created these personal emotional pieces that are still a bit abstract in a way, but I find that it gives the viewer the chance to see themselves in the work.

It's interesting, the way you say you're “putting yourself on display.”  Do you feel more critical when you're painting yourself? 

Even to just put a work in front of people, is already a vulnerable experience. Because I do like to paint from an emotional place, and I care about what I paint about. And then to have a piece of it, you know, to have it be not just a piece of you, but kind of almost a representation of you. Yeah, it is vulnerable. I mean, I'm obviously setting myself up for criticism or praise or whatever. But I don't really care. I think it is vulnerable, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I think that's the only way that you do something in the world is if you're willing to put yourself out there because there's only one of you, and it is special, and it is unique. And so yes, of course, it does come with a lot of like it's, it's, it's can be nerve wracking. But it's art, though.

Beyond the addition of the self portraits, is there something that sets this exhibition apart from other work you’ve done?

Yeah, for sure. I think my first solo show was a bit more about generational pain and generational trauma and I think we're all shaped by the events that have happened in our lives and the ways that we were raised. This show is more a look at who we are and an invitation really for other people to do the same. And then just stylistically, I would say that it's a lot more pared back. In terms of the aesthetic and everything, I made it a lot more simple. I want to strip away the distractions and really hone in and make the piece between the viewer and the subject in the piece.