Wes Lang

Wes Lang (born 1972) is an American visual artist living and working in Los Angeles, California. His artworks explore themes of mortality and the human condition through a personal repertoire of motifs drawn from pop culture, Americana, and imagery of skulls and skeletons.

Life Wes Lang was born in 1972 in Chatham, New Jersey. Although he grew up in a suburban area, his parents exposed him from an early age to a wide range of cosmopolitan influences, particularly in art and music. His mother used to work as an interior designer at Vogue before starting her own design business. She frequently took Lang with her to furniture and fabric showrooms, museums, and the upscale spaces she was designing, providing him with an early window into creativity and design. His father ran a record shop for some time. Supported by his family, Lang's interest in art emerged at a young age, laying the foundation for his future career as a visual artist. As he remembers: “I’ve always known what I wanted to do since I was very small. It wasn’t a question. I very confidently would say, ‘I am going to be an artist'."

Lang's most extensive series to date is The Black Paintings. Produced between 2022 and 2024, it comprises 96 pieces featuring Lang's distinctive cast of characters, most notably skeleton figures, alongside animal-like and otherworldly beings. Some works depict groups or single portraits of long-haired skeletons dressed in dinner jackets, shown in restaurants and stylish bars where they sip fine wine, play musical instruments, and engage in conversation. At times these characters appear against completely dark backgrounds or patterned wallpapers, while in other works they are set within lush landscapes. Other pieces feature still lifes with skulls and animals. Lang recognised the interconnected quality of the series, describing it as a “narrative journey that these characters were going on.” This narrative dimension also evokes associations with film, particularly the 1920 movie The Moon Riders, which served as an inspiration for the works.

Drawings Lang's drawings feature a similar range of characters and themes as his paintings. They are rendered in acrylic, crayon, and pencil, with large areas of the paper left blank and often incorporating text.

In 2013, musician Kanye West licensed Lang's artwork for the Yeezus tour. Lang's designs were adapted for tour merchandise, including T-shirts, which became popular among fans and collectors. The skull is a recurring element in Lang's work. His characters are often depicted as skeletons or skull-headed figures engaged in a wide range of activities. His interest in this motif traces back to childhood, as he recalls: “Something grabbed me about the skull when I was in elementary school, and it was so inexplicable to me.”

Exhibitions (selection) DADS, Gallery Anthony, Chicago, Illinois, (November 20, 2025 - January 10, 2026). The Good You Do Will Follow You, Gallery Masurel, Lyon, France, (November 27, 2025 - January 10, 2026). Thank You God, Heni Gallery, London, England, (October 13, 2025 - November 10, 2025). The Black Paintings (Goodness Will Be Everywhere), Newport Street Gallery, London, England, (ember 27, 2024 - March 9, 2025). Pink and Blue, Almine Rech Gallery, New York, USA, (January 6, 2022 - February 5, 2022). Healing Of A Nation, One Trick Pony Gallery, Los Angeles, California, (May 15, 2021 - June 12, 2021). Endless Horizons, Almine Rech Gallery, Aspen, Colorado, (August 27, 2021 - September 12, 2021). Wes Lang, Almine Rech Gallery, Paris, France, (October 17, 2020 - November 14, 2020). Wes Lang: Taking Off For Other Dimensions, Eighteen, Copenhagen, Denmark, (September 21, 2019 - October 19, 2019). Wes Lang: The Studio, ARoS Aarhus Museum of Art, Aarhus, Denmark, (March 29, 2014 - September 7, 2014).