La Luz De Jesus is pleased to present Ark of Man, Wesley Wright’s first solo exhibition at the Gallery. Ark of man references the Iroquois creation myth about the Sky Woman who was saved by the tortoise after falling from the clouds. Wright finds comfort and inspiration that such a vessel could preserve and contain all of the wealth and diversity on the planet.

Wright’s sculptures reinterpret folklore. His fascination with alchemy and creating systems of logical order are realized through his carefully curated microcosms encased in glass “biodomes” and adhered to his ceramic creatures. His use of earthen materials (clay, glass, and engobe) combined with man-made materials (turf, resin, and other found objects) presents the notion of humans intervening in order to restore Earth’s environment to its natural state.

Wesley Wright lives and works in Northern California. He received his B.A. in Studio Art from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California in 2007 and his M.F.A. in Spatial Art from San Jose State University in 2013. He has served on the board of the Association of Clay and Glass Artists (AGCA) and was the Co-Founder of the Humboldt Arts Festival. He has exhibited in galleries and museums across the country including the Glassell Fine Arts Museum in Houston, Texas, and the De Young Museum in San Francisco, California. Wright has work in the Crocker Museum Permanent Collection in Sacramento, California, the Eugene Fleischer Collection, and the Grant and Karen Hutchinson Collection. He is currently working on a public project in collaboration with Youth Spirit Artworks in Berkeley, California.