Biography

The works and the world of Gregg Emery are inherently imperfect: purposefully paradoxical marriages between simplicity and complexity, clarity and confusion. Emery uses each of his works to complicate his two recurring forms: the circle and the rectangle. He uses sheer physicality to drag his paint into these two shapes, allowing the colors and individual marks of each bristle to interact with one another on his muslin base in ways that are both entirely intentional, yet also left slightly to chance. Each of Emery’s pieces contains a unique, yet often limited, color palette, often inspired by unexpected sources. Derived from his everyday life, a movie scene, sunset, food or even a rusted dumpster. Through his powerful color selections and movements, Emery awakens something primal within his viewers. He triggers associations both intended and unexpected, allowing the viewer to continuously enjoy the works with their own, ever-evolving interpretations. His own inspirations combine western mystical experiences with his Quaker grandmother and a long-time study of and within Eastern cultures, particularly Zen traditions and the Gutai Movement in Japan.  The past few years have been particularly strong for Emery as he has received critical acclaim for his exhibits around the globe. From Brussels to Beijing and back again. In 2017, Emery was commissioned and completed an 8,000 sq ft mural around a pool on Roosevelt Island that was featured in Time Out NY, the Gothamist, and was listed by The New York Post as one of the top instragrammable places of the summer. He was selected to exhibit in the 10th Annual Governors Island Art Fair, dubbed by the New York Times as the Art Fair of the 99%. From there it was off to Brussels and the Cube Art Fair, where Emery’s paintings could be viewed alongside the work of Chuck Close and other American greats. His paintings were featured during Art Basel in 2019 and 2021 and were also shown in Art New York at Pier 94. They appeared prominently in Season 2 of the widely acclaimed TV Show, ‘The Last O.G.’ 2021 has been the most exciting year yet as Emery’s work appeared on a billboard in Times Square, was featured in galleries in Chicago, New York, Miami, and Connecticut and he has created a collection of NFTs which was featured in the Financial Times.

Click the button below to see Emery’s resume.