LeRone Wilson: Stars of the Universe

Press Release

Skoto Gallery is pleased to present LeRone Wilson: The Stars of the Universe, a solo exhibition of recent works by the American sculptor, LeRone Wilson. This will be his first solo presentation at the gallery. We invite you to join us for the reception on Thursday, September 18, 6-8pm, where the artist will be in attendance.

For over three decades, LeRone Wilson has dedicated his practice to exploring the artistic potential of beeswax, a medium renowned for its versatility, depth, and unique textural qualities, and notably used by ancient Kemetic civilizations in their art. A prolific artist, Wilson masterfully blends nature and imagination demonstrating a profound sensitivity to texture, a deep understanding of tonality and color, and an inimitable ability to create cohesive and vigorous bodies of work that reflect intense contemplation. Wilson’s wall sculptures are built through an iterative process, as he delves into an independent system of artmaking and design principles. His approach consciously balances material, color, form, and technique. Through years of refining his encaustic technique, he has produced remarkable abstract wall sculptures that expertly exploit the ambiguity that arises between abstract shapes and imagery as well as the intriguing play between formal intention and narrative potential

As the artist describes, “I create my work by melting a mixture of beeswax, honey, powder pigment, propolis, carnauba wax, and resin, which I then make all in one solvent. I apply the mixture to the panel (or whatever surface I choose) with an assortment of palette knives to build up the surface then fuse each layer with heat. After the wax is completely hardened, I use carving tools that I created to make specific patterns into the wax. The alchemy of combining mineralized powder pigment with beeswax is fundamental to my process where the right temperature and the pigment to wax ratio determine the resulting texture. The application process of adding wax is very physical, time-consuming, and extremely detailed.”  The result is a minimal, translucent, and highly textured surface imbued with remarkable elegance and lyrical beauty. While the visual impact is striking from a distance, a closer examination offers rewarding experience and palpable sensations, evoking the expansive possibilities inherent in both life and art. For Wilson, Beeswax serves as a powerful medium for exploring history, identity and authenticity while expanding the possibility of working creatively without disrupting the purity of the material. The significance of bees to civilization is well-documented, particularly in current discussions about environmental and climate change. However, honey, wax, and bees held profound importance in Kemet society. Some even believed that the human soul, or “ka,” could take the form of a bee. Equally important to the Kemetic culture was their relationship with the sun, moon and the stars (Ra, Eah and Spdt (spa-det), All the works in the show reflect Kemetic names given to these celestial bodies.

LeRone Wilson is a distinguished artist with a strong exhibition history. He was a finalist for the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award and a winner of Best in Show for the Carroll Harris Sims Award. In 2011, he received the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Award during Art Basel Miami week, triumphing over 4,000 artists nationwide. His notable engagements include being featured in the Special Projects section of Art New York in 2019, participating in the Pierce and Hill Harper Foundation Artist Residency in Detroit, and contributing to the 2020 Uptown Triennial at Columbia University’s Wallach Gallery. Wilson’s works have also been included in exhibitions at several institutions such as the Museum of Biblical Art in New York and the African American Museum in Dallas among others. His work is in several private and public collections across the country. Wilson is a graduate of The University of Illinois-Chicago’s School of Art and Design (1994) and LeRone Wilson is a distinguished artist with a global exhibition history. He was a finalist for the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award and a winner of Best in Show for the Carroll Harris Sims Award. In 2011, he received the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Award during Art Basel Miami week, triumphing over 4,000 artists nationwide. His notable engagements include being featured in the Special Projects section of Art New York in 2019, participating in the Pierce and Hill Harper Foundation Artist Residency in Detroit, and contributing to the 2020 Uptown Triennial at Columbia University’s Wallach Gallery. Wilson’s works have also been included in exhibitions at several institutions such as the Museum of Biblical Art in New York and the African American Museum in Dallas among others. His work is in several private and public collections across the country. Wilson is a graduate of The University of Illinois-Chicago’s School of Art and Design (1994) he lives and works in New York City.