Charisse Pearlina Weston. | Courtesy Jack Shainman Gallery
CONCEPTUAL ARTIST Charisse Pearlina Weston is now part of Jack Shainman’s diverse group of artists. The gallery in New York showcases an array of about 40 artists renowned for delving into social and cultural issues through their art, including notable names like Nina Chanel Abney, El Anatsui, Nick Cave, Kerry James Marshall, Meleko Mokgosi, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Lynette Yiadom Boakye. This collaboration follows Patron Gallery’s initiation of work with Weston in December 2023.
Recently, Weston’s work has been exhibited at Jack Shainman in shows such as “This Tender, Fragile Thing” at The School in Kinderhook, N.Y., in 2022, and “We Buy Gold:SEVEN” in Chelsea in 2023. Her creations were also showcased at the gallery’s booth during Frieze Los Angeles (March 1-3, 2024).
Known for her use of sculpture, writing, installation, and photography, especially with glass, Weston is currently an artist in residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Her pieces are currently on display in the exhibition “And ever an edge: Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2022–23” at MoMA PS1 in New York until April 8, 2024.
“I am very privileged to be part of Jack Shainman Gallery and stand with a group of artists who actively challenge oppressive systems and erasure. I’ve drawn immense inspiration from many of these artists while developing my craft, so it’s truly remarkable to now share a platform with them,” Weston expressed in the announcement of her representation.
“I am extremely honored to join Jack Shainman Gallery and be amongst a roster of artists whose work actively puts pressure on systems of oppression and erasure.” — Charisse Pearlina Weston
CHARISSE PEARLINA WESTON, “the lime green flourescent tint edge of bitter (let’s straighten it out),” 2023 (inkjet print on Hahnemühle canvas etched with glass from collapse, frit, blown glass, and resin). | Image courtesy MoMA PS1 and Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo by Kris Graves
Her artistic philosophy involves delving into the empowering nuances of Black inner life. She views this arena as a locus of empowerment where choices of illegibility are intentional rather than forced,” Weston explained. “My work primarily centers on grasping and subsequently applying enfoldment, repetition, and concealment, terms I refer to as ‘Black tactics of refusal’, as methodologies for summoning an alternate spatial and temporal reality that counters and deconstructs the persistent threat of anti-Blackness.”
She elaborated, “Ultimately, my creations envision potential worlds when our current symbolic frameworks are inverted; contemplating the fresh movements and perspectives that could emerge if we disrupt or completely dismantle the existing structures fueling exploitation. These are the avenues I am exploring through my creations.”
WESTON, ORIGINALLY FROM Houston, Texas, and now residing in Brooklyn, N.Y., holds an MFA in studio art with a focus on critical theory from the University of California, Irvine (2019), a master’s degree in modern art history, curating, and criticism from the University of Edinburgh’s Edinburgh College of Art, and an undergraduate degree in art history from the University of
Charisse Pearlina Weston: A Rising Star in the Art World
In 2021, Charisse Pearlina Weston was awarded the prestigious Burke Prize by the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. This $50,000 prize is given to artists aged 45 or under who excel in working with materials like glass, fiber, clay, metal, or wood. Weston, in her artist statement, emphasized how she uses glass to encapsulate the everyday risks of anti-black violence and the resilience of blackness in the face of adversity.
Weston’s first solo museum exhibition, titled “of [a] tomorrow: lighter than air, stronger than whiskey, cheaper than dust,” debuted at the Queens Museum on Oct. 2, 2022. Shortly after, she was named a 2022-23 artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum. With a background in the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Independent Study Program, Weston is set to be part of the upcoming Whitney Biennial in 2024.
Renowned gallery founder Jack Shainman praised Weston’s work, highlighting her innovative approach and unique perspective. He expressed his admiration for her distinctive manipulation of materials and her captivating thought processes, underscoring his excitement to collaborate and witness her artistic growth.
For more insight into Charisse Pearlina Weston’s art, visit her website and watch her discuss her practice at MoMA PS1 in a video shared by the museum. Additionally, you can explore books like “Whitney Biennial 2024: Even Better Than the Real Thing” and Weston’s own publication, “Awaiting,” to delve deeper into her artistic journey.
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