The Bureau is proud to present It will end in tears., a solo exhibition of collages by Charlie Welch.
It will end in tears. will be on view at the Bureau from February 10 through April 9, 2023.
Charlie will host a collage party at the Bureau on Saturday, March 11th, from 2 to 5 PM. Registration recommended.
Click here to register.
Artist’s statement:
“The collages included in It Will End in Tears. began as meditations, typically created first thing in the morning. I have multiple sources that I use for references, as well as many folders of images that I’ve been saving for many years. One day I started playing with layering and cropping of images in order to tell different stories, unrelated to their original contexts, and usually those stories are about desire.”
Charlie Welch received a BFA, with a focus on photography, from Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles in 1989. After graduating he moved to New York where he worked as a photo assistant for Josef Astor and David Seidner. In 1994 he began working in window displays at Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman and Ralph Lauren. In 1998 he began assisting as a prop stylist and set designer and went solo three years later. In 2006 he moved to Barcelona to continue his art studies at Metàfora International Workshop focusing on sculpture, installation and public intervention. At the end of 2008 he returned to New York and resumed working as a prop stylist, set designer and photographer, while also putting more focus on his personal work.
His experience from commercial work comes into play with his fine art. Photography is his main medium, but he also incorporates sculpture and collage. Constructed environments and playful sets are signatures of his work, which conveys narratives about identity formation, public and private selves, and how we navigate daily life.
Charlie is a co-founder of the NY Queer Zine Fair and co-organizer from 2015-2018. He also was part of the Queer Action Figures collective (1994-96) and one half of KNOWSGAY, along with Paul Anthony Moreno. Charlie’s projects include short films, collage, photography, limited edition stickers, t-shirts, posters, objects and zines. He draws his inspiration from dirty sailors, fancy desserts and sad pop songs.
He is also an award-winning pie baker.
