Spencer Lewis

"Sits In the corner If it’s free The sofa With no one else on it The empty spot In the least crowded space Somewhere he can simply and quietly be Safely Be Safely be.

He smiles More often than not In his space Safely being Exudes Warmth, kindness, generosity A spirit of friendship Love Like Pooh Bear Or Kung Fu Panda Safely being Everyone’s great pal Everyone’s hug.

And yet. And yet. And yet.

And motherfucking yet

In that space And in his peace and his love In his every smile Laugh Gentle hand and sparkling eye In every gesture There is weight Weight of his years His history His life Weight of his heart Mind

Spirit Soul Weight of trauma pain rage. Trauma Pain Rage Weight And in that weight There is violence Brutal straightforward aggressive deliberate shameless violence.

So many things exist Beyond words Love God Truth Fear Whatever we have Doesn’t get close And so The wise and the gifted and the beautiful and the foolhardy Seek other methods Gestures Sound Movement Paint And from the many things that exist Beyond Comes comes comes.

Sweet Man Kind Man Beautiful Man Brutal straightforward aggressive deliberate shameless violent Man Love God Truth Fear Violence Heart Mind Spirit Soul Violence."

—James Frey

Spencer Lewis (b. 1979, Hartford, CT) received a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 2002, and an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2008. Lewis’s work has been the subject of numerous solo presentations at venues including Fundación La Nave Salinas, Ibiza (2025); Massimo De Carlo, Paris, Milan and Hong Kong (2025, 2023 and 2022); Harper’s, New York and East Hampton (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2017); Galerie nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder, Vienna (2024 and 2022); Vito Schnabel Gallery, New York and St. Moritz (2023, 2022 and 2021); Josh Lilley, London (2022); Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels (2021); and Canada, New York (2021). Most recently, he has participated in group exhibitions at Massimo De Carlo, London and Milan (2025 and 2022); National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC (2024); The Ranch, Montauk (2023); K11 Museum, Hong Kong (2023); Metropolitan Museum of Manila, PH (2023); Harper’s, Los Angeles and East Hampton (2022, 2021, 2020, and 2018); and WOAW Gallery, Hong Kong (2022). His work has been acquired by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR; Museu Inimá de Paula, Belo Horizonte, BR; and National Museum of African American History and Culture, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Lewis lives and works in Los Angeles.