Bio
Derek Weiler Ph.D. is a German-American visual artist and independent art historian. Born outside of Philadelphia, PA, he moved with his family to the small medieval town of Constance, Germany, at the age of 2. He spent his childhood playing by the lake and in the forests, making up stories and games to keep his friends entertained. His parents took him on frequent trips to Italy to see art, and his mother would guide him through the seemingly endless galleries of the Uffizi museum in Florence, telling and re-telling the stories of the painters of the Renaissance.
Weiler studied painting and drawing at the Academy of Arts and Design in Stuttgart, Germany, and moved to New York City in 1990 where he received his MFA in studio art from Hunter College, City University of New York. Among his early influences are the German expressive works of Rainer Fetting and Karl Horst Hödicke as well as the pop art figurative artists David Hockney, Alice Neel and David Park. Some of the themes he explores in his work concern sexual identity, visibility of emotion, and authenticity of expression. His early work was featured in the historic exhibitions Stonewall 25 at White Columns, New York City, and Faggots – A Communiqué from North America at the Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas, Buenos Aires. An artist in residence at Yaddo and the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner grant, his work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in New York City, Cologne, Berlin, Brussels, and San Diego.
Derek earned his Ph.D. in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, and taught at the Parsons School of Design, The New School, while also working as a researcher in the curatorial department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is currently pursuing his studio practice and teaching figure drawing in the San Diego, California, area.
Artist Statement
My work is a record of friendships and a meditation on my own life: of growing up gay in Germany, living as an artist in New York City during the years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and immersing myself in art history. Combining conceptual elements with research into the traditional techniques of painting, drawing, and print-making, my work reflects on generational shifts, celebrates gay friendships and sexuality, and shows a deep reverence for the history of human creativeness.
Most of my work is drawn from life. The woodcuts, portrait paintings, and life drawings start with two- to four-hour sessions in the studio, with additional work done later, such as filling in the background or adjusting skin tones. The mutual observation of model and artist heightens the significance of our time together – stories are told, and secrets are revealed as we witness and recognize one another. It is a time of empathy and intimacy, which I record with color and brushwork. In the intensity of the encounter, I tend to get lost in the moment and forget everything that I have learned. The resulting pictures vary from image to image, being guided almost automatically by the atmosphere and mood of the occasion. My work has little in common with photography. The aspect that a person is willing to reveal dominates the expression and is often quite different from a photograph.
My work connects me and my own story with my community of friends, acquaintances, and a younger generation of gay men. I believe that capturing individuals at a particular stage in their lives is worthy of the attention of art and that taken together, the images capture a specific time and place in the gay community and its role for society at this moment in history.