REGINALD SYLVESTER II

FINE ARTIST

Reginald Sylvester II

Brooklyn-based artist Reginald Sylvester II creates works that trigger provoking and often disconcerting topics such as race, sexuality, religion and spirituality through deconstructed, dramatized forms that oscillate between abstraction and figuration. Drawing inspiration from personal reflections and theories of expressionist artists, Sylvester II creates an identifiable style of distortion and dramatized deconstruction – a masterful demonstration of the artist’s signature combination of abstraction and figuration exploring his religious beliefs, sense of history, and identity.

 

Deeply personal yet universal in its scope, his works often display scenes of premonition, lust or torment – all laden with connotations reflecting the state of the world today, as well as the artist’s own sense of vertigo when facing his predictions for the future.

 

Sylvester II’s imagery lays bare the alchemy of the artist’s interior world, personal journey and parallel universe. Acting as a conduit to another realm of consciousness, Sylvester II engages both with his work and with the world at large through his personal faith.

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'Transgression' 2019
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'One Way or Another' 2019

“Heaven is something we can’t see, we can’t touch but we have faith that living our life a certain way we’re going to make it there and it’s the same way with painting. You start a painting, you go through this journey, this process and in the end you get to the result.”

-Reginald Sylvester II
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EXHIBITIONS

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'New Paintings' details
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'New Paintings' at James Fuentes Gallery, New York
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'New Paintings' at James Fuentes Gallery, New York
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Reginald working in his Mexico City studio
Reginald working in his Mexico City studio

'I feel that the unconscious or subconscious is a place of great depth, it’s not about making a picture, it’s about finding it.'

-Reginald Sylvester II
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'One Way or Another' 2019
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'Hope for One Last Stand' 2019
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'Mistaken for Splender' 2019
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'The Soul Told Tales of a Past Once Lived' 2019
Installation of 'NEMESIS'
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Opening Night 'NEMESIS'
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Office Magazine
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Office Magazine

“The paintings in ‘NEMESIS’ point to the fragility of the human existence, whose hyper-consciousness is provoked by its bad conscience. Transmitting raw emotion through his work, the artist offers insight into the relationship vis-à-vis the artist’s creative process and its cathartic role.”

-Maximillian William
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'Premonition' at Lever House, New York City
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'Premonition' at Lever House, New York City

"Premonition exhibited the visual results of a journey looking inwards. Even the opening event itself presented a powerful social equilibrium that ties together art, fashion, and music."

-Office Magazine
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Garage Magazine: Reginald Sylvester II Paints With Purpose
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Garage Magazine: Reginald Sylvester II Paints With Purpose
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Highsnobiety: Figuring Art Out, Reginald Sylvester II
Highsnobiety: Figuring Art Out, Reginald Sylvester II

“Becoming 30 is usually a coming-of-age for many. In a way, I believe Reginald had a premonition that this show was a rite of passage that would change the course of his career, and I don’t think people will need supernatural powers to see this.”

-The Huffington Post
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'Kalief Browder' 2016
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The New York Times
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'Debauchery in the Club' 2017
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'Distraction' 2017
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La lettura, Newspaper, Italy
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'Eve' 2016
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'Turmoil in Babylon' 2016
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'Form & Color' 2016
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'Celestial Minds Yield Knowledge aka CMYK' 2016

“The work embodies figuration through abstraction. My energy is transferred onto the surface while the imagery is streamed from my subconscious, which I believe is the soul.”

-Reginald Sylvester II
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Selected work from 'A Generation So Bright'
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Selected work from 'A Generation So Bright'
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Selected work from 'In Search of a Wonderful Place'
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Selected work from 'In Search of a Wonderful Place'
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DESIGN

Close up ‘Heel Chair’
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Close up ‘Heel Chair’

"The polished chair takes on an almost life-like form with its smooth curves and rounded legs. The sleekness and simplicity of the piece juxtapose Sylvester II’s visceral paintings that depict raw emotion through bright colors and gestures."

-Hypebeast
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BOOKS

REGINALD SYLVESTER II - With The End In Mind
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REGINALD SYLVESTER II - With The End In Mind
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REGINALD SYLVESTER II - NEMESIS: SPECIAL EDITION
REGINALD SYLVESTER II - NEMESIS: SPECIAL EDITION
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REGINALD SYLVESTER II - NEMESIS
REGINALD SYLVESTER II - NEMESIS
REGINALD SYLVESTER II - In Search of a Wonderful Place
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PRESS

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Plaster Magazine
Plaster Magazine
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“I could've stuck to a certain type of work for easy success or instant gratification, but what I want for the future is longevity. I want my work to be honest, real, and true to myself.”

-Reginald Sylvester II

Reginald Sylvester II