Derek Eller Gallery

Presentation Details
Derek Eller Gallery presents works by Brooklyn-based artist Joseph Olisaemeka Wilson, following his 2022 solo exhibition at the gallery. Wilson’s palimpsest of references ranges from extinct animals to imaginary machines to an all-star basketball player, blending the iconography of American pop culture with African folklore. Rather than ascribing any singular narrative to his paintings and drawings, Wilson deploys his cast of characters in scenes of “fantasized armageddon” or “ritualistic dance” that can be read as allegories of the present moment. His free-flowing practice re-mixes and fuses multiple images, histories, and philosophies.

About the Gallery
Founded in Chelsea in 1997, Derek Eller Gallery's mission is to promote emerging artists, champion under-recognized established artists, and present alternative art-historical narratives. Exhibiting work in a range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and installation, the gallery represents a multigenerational roster of contemporary artists from across the United States and abroad, including Alyson Shotz, David Kennedy Cutler, Steve DiBenedetto, Nancy Shaver, D-L Alvarez, and Michelle Segre. The gallery also works with Karl Wirsum of the legendary Chicago group the Hairy Who, whose first New York exhibition in over two decades was held at the gallery in 2010, and recently staged a survey of ceramics by Peter Shire, a former member of the iconic design collective Memphis. In 2016 the gallery relocated to the Lower East Side, occupying a renovated garage space at 300 Broome Street.