Axel Wilhite

Axel Wilhite is a Los Angeles-based artist and writer. He holds an MFA in fiction writing from New York University. His interest in the intersection of literature, storytelling, and visual art has led to numerous collaborations and experiments.

The first international exhibition of his art, “Un Jeu de Cartes,” was held in December 2013 at La Manutention in Paris. After living for about 2 years in Japan, Axel has since developed several trajectories in his art but often use Japanese culture and fine arts as main source of inspiration.

STATEMENT

Found materials come with their own particular history and perspective that makes conversation between material and artist possible, which is why I have come to like using discarded materials as substrate for my works. In these latest paintings, I’ve taken damaged and discarded Japanese woodblock prints as my substrata. I have gravitated towards these prints as a material in part because I love to look at them—I’m in awe of their imagination, design, and craftsmanship.

Additionally, I know that the production of each print is the result of a laborious process that requires many master craftspeople applying their various arts—from the papermakers to the illustrators to the printers, and all the steps in-between. By working with these discarded prints, I style myself as an extension of that process. My art in the case of these works is to rehabilitate and repurpose these prints from the Edo to create images that speak to our crisis-ridden, globally-connected era.