WESLEY ANDEREGG | CRITTERS
February 28–May 16, 2020
ARTIST TALK
Friday, February 28, 4pm
OPENING RECEPTION
Friday, February 28, 5 -7pm
FIERCE AND FUNNY CREATURES OF THE SOUTHWEST ON PARADE
(February 2020) form & concept is pleased to present Critters, a solo show featuring a new body of work by Arizona-born ceramicist Wesley Anderegg, in celebration of the recent acquisition of his work into the New Mexico Museum of Art. An artist talk will be held on Friday, February 28, 4-5pm, followed by an opening reception, 5-7pm.
Comprised entirely of works made in the last few months, Critters centers on creatures Anderegg grew up with in Arizona, from horny toads and chameleons to roadrunners. The latter, titled Tangerine Thief, looks devilishly pleased with the stolen fruit he holds, demonstrating Anderegg has imbued his critters with the same eccentricities as his previous people. “I’m definitely approaching the animals as metaphors for people,” Anderegg writes. “Horny toads for example are loaded with meaning! You can apply that as you like.”
Wesley Anderegg’s peculiar ceramic figures have been delighting viewers for over three decades in Santa Fe. Collectors and critics familiar with Anderegg’s distinct sense of humor have come to rely on his signature toothy grins, unsettlingly realistic glazed eyes, and idiosyncratic brand of whimsy and fun. Awash in the colors of a typical Arizona landscape, his earthenware characters represent what the artist enjoys best, outside of raising pygmy goats: poking fun and people-watching.
Wesley Anderegg’s work is represented in numerous public collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC; Montgomery Museum of Art, Montgomery, AL; Fredrick R. Wiesman Museum, Minneapolis, MN; Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ; and, most recently, the New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM. When he’s not busy with contemporary craft, Anderegg makes his own pinot noir.
For press or image inquiries, please contact Marissa Fassano at (505) 982-8111 or email marissaf@formandconcept.center.