David Wesley White

Growing up in the suburbs was like road kill on the highway and the safety of four-wheel drive. It was summer swims and school plays and the scar of industrialization on a New England landscape. With adulthood, the paradox in the rosy image of my youth became more apparent.

In early work, I deconstructed the symbolism of the nuclear family; exploring themes of labor, the parent-child relationship, and divorce. My practice has evolved from psychoanalysis into the realm of sociology where I am guided by the existential plight of politics; finding nuggets of humor and beauty inside a continuum of frustration and fear. Additionally, I explore themes of the queer body— contrasting continued persecution against our unique versions of sex and love. 

Physically, my work takes the form of sculptures, installations, videos, performances, and paintings. My process often begins with a phase of deep research where I gather from the attic, archives, and second-hand stores. I am drawn to materials with rich subtexts that tell controversial or forgotten stories. Process involves transforming the material to reveal hidden philosophies or fatal contradictions. These criticisms play out against a backdrop of personal and American history; tracing and breaking through the edges of the established past.


b. 1994 Worcester, Massachuetts
davidweswhite@gmail.com