T-Rex Highlights the Excess in the “American Spirit”
The artist talks us through his process of experimentation in the latest HYPEBEAST Diaries.
Excess is a point of emphasis for Los Angeles-based artist, Tyler Rexiesen. She-devils, blown-up Marlboro boxes – some of the many devices T-Rex uses to highlight the vices that reflect the underbelly of contemporary society.
For the latest HYPEBEAST Diaries, we paid a visit to the artist in his Skid Row studio to talk through his process of experimentation and showcase his latest solo exhibition, “American Spirit,” which viewed at Prom Date in Beverly Hills this past November.
“I could have been an archaeologist or a plastic surgeon,” said T-Rex. Two professions that may appear diametrically opposed, but share a through-line — they both focus on the process of reconstruction. Whether intentionally or subconsciously, the LA artist works in this mindset to reconstruct the visual lexicon of daily life to the way he sees fit.
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“You’re not sure if you’re in danger, if you’re comfortable or familiar.”
Sometimes this resampling is a form of self-therapy. When speaking on the Marlboro boxes, the artist notes that it was a way to “put a lot of shit behind me…drug use and all the type of shit that’s not helping me. Put it into these and hopefully, I can move forward after the show and have a clear mind.”
But where there’s a reflection in his art, so too is temptation. Both of which T-Rex revels in. “You’re not sure if you’re in danger, if you’re comfortable or familiar. Or if you’re dying slow or if you’re dying fast.” Watch the latest installment of HYPEBEAST Diaries above.
Elsewhere in art, Hauser & Wirth brings together a joint exhibition on Maria Lassnig and Cindy Sherman.
