b. 1990, Indianapolis, IN, US
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, US
Brooklyn-based artist Cameron Welch’s sculptures and wall-mounted mosaic reliquary-like ‘paintings’ draw inspiration from antiquity and modern life, mythologies of his own, and the untold stories of the American black experience. Formed by grouted tiles and interspersed with quotidian ready-made like items from eclectic markets and objects culled from Brooklyn detritus, Welch intertwines, paints and assembles various materials to form the scenes of his epic narratives. Often depicting heroic or eccentric figures with whom he shares true and fabled kinship, the artist sheds light on unsung histories through myriad sensations set within the intricate topology of his works.
Welch transitioned into mosaic assemblage in part after wandering through the Ancient Greco-Roman wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Noting that people of African descent were often underrepresented or misrepresented regardless of being an intrinsic part of the ancient world, Welch reclaims these histories by creating monumental, lasting depictions with culturally representative motifs. His personal experiences of being biracial result in the driving force in his work of creating a more advanced and accurate contemporary archeology.
Cameron Welch (b. 1990, Indianapolis, IN, US; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, US) graduated with an MFA from Columbia University, New York in 2016. His recent solo exhibitions include RUINS at Yossi Milo Gallery, New York (2022); Figurative Summer at Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco (2020); Monolith at Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles (2019); RETROGRADE at Rental Gallery, East Hampton (2018); Hide and Seek at yours, mine, and ours, New York (2017). His work is included in the collection of The Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design. Welch lives and works in New York.