Photo: Eric Minh Swenson/Splash News
Everyone’s favorite art-collecting celeb couple, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, made an appearance last weekend at the opening of “The Longest Night of the Year” at Milk Studios in Los Angeles, the latest show by Kanye West’s merchandise designer of choice, Wes Lang.
The power couple are public about their avid support of the arts, whether with art-world collabs and subsequent unappreciated donations, taking museum selfies, paying halloween homage to artists, or boosting art they support.
Beyoncé at Milk Studios for Wes Lang’s “The Longest NIght of the Year”
Photo: Eric Minh Swenson/Splash News
Lang, who got his art world start as a Guggenheim art handler, is known for his controversial subjects probing into the visual history of America, and his use of Native American themes, confederate flags, and black face imagery has gotten him into trouble in the past, and not just for his controversial Yeezus merch.
In 2007, Jeffrey Deitch pulled two of Lang’s pieces containing Civil War-era black stereotypes from a show at Deitch Projects. Defending his artistic intentions, the artist told Interview that he is drawn to loaded imagery.
Jay Z and Wes Lang.
Photo: Eric Minh Swenson/Splash News
“I’m attracted to the dark side of things. I did a bunch of blackface stuff a couple of years ago. That was a little touchy. I wasn’t doing it to piss people off…I’m taking it out of its context and putting it into my context and hoping that people can understand that I’m not glorifying this stuff.“
But Bey and Jay seem to get Lang’s use of controversial images.