Tony Lewis

Tony Lewis's artistic focus revolves around exploring the intersection of semiotics and language to address social and political themes, including race, power, communication, and labor.

Biography of Tony Lewis

Tony Lewis was born in Los Angeles in 1986. He graduated from Washington and Jefferson College in 2008, receiving a BA degree.

The artist received a BFA in 2010 and an NFA in 2012 from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

His recent solo exhibitions include "New Song We Wrest! Who Throng Heat Yet? Tone Got Flower Work" at MASSIMODECARLO in Hong Kong (2023), "Tony Lewis: CASUAL T" at the Orange County Museum of Art in Los Angeles (2023), "EONS OF NEON NESCIENT PEONS POPCORN INFLUENCE AND SUCH" at Blum & Poe in Los Angeles (2022), "Noise! Yourself, Also Distrain" at MASSIMODECARLO in London (2021), and many more.

Tony Lewis's works have also been featured in numerous group showcases, including "Levity" at Alexander Berggruen in New York (2023), "Sympathy for the Translator" at The ICA at MECA&D in Portland (2022), "Citing Black Geographies" at GRAY Gallery in Chicago (2022), and "Grain of a Hand: Drawings with Charcoal" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago (2021), among others.

Currently, the artist lives and works in Chicago.

Tony Lewis's Art Style

Lewis produces drawings utilizing graphite, pencil, and paper, mediums through which the artist traces and develops abstract narratives and reflections on the concept of the gestural. By pushing the boundaries of drawing and exploring the potential of abstraction, he extends the utilization of the "material" of language.

The artist uses graphite powder as a medium to address social and political themes, including race, power, communication, and labor. The material serves as both a literal and conceptual foundation for the artist's work, undergoing processes such as stretching, smudging, rubbing, splicing, and folding across a variety of handmade and found surfaces.

In the early stages of his career, Lewis created a series of site-specific floor drawings aiming to deepen the understanding of the connection between his work, the chosen medium, and the fundamental purpose of his floors covered in graphite.