Face Art by Corey Wesley, Harlem NYC

Unapologetic Faces

The Cost of Being Seen.

Every face tells a story before we even say a word. These faces are archetypes. What they carry is yours.

View Available Artwork

Liberated Tears and Two Truths, One Body by Corey Wesley hang above a black sofa in the artist's Harlem home.

Artist’s archive proofs, photographed in Corey Wesley’s Harlem home.

Press & Coverage

…asking viewers to consider what it means to be seen—and at what cost.

HWM

The moment I hung it up, something shifted. I felt seen. I felt heard.

Heather Elitou

As a child I grew up in the 'city that never sleeps;' a city where dreams are made and there's nothing you can't do.

Corey Wesley, 2013

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The Future of Face Art

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Six new faces, still in progress and not on the site yet.

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The Series

Unapologetic Faces

View Available Artwork

What Credit Costs by Corey Wesley. A face split between gold and cracked red, with the word CREDIT dripping in gold across the forehead and glossy black lips.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in What Credit Costs $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Credit Where Credit Is Due by Corey Wesley. A face split down the middle, one side pale with a blue eye and blonde braids, the other dark with black braids and a red eye shadow.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Credit Where Credit Is Due $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Love Your Face II by Corey Wesley. A face covered in painted lettering and blocks of blue, red, yellow and orange, with LOVE YOUR FACE written across it.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Love Your Face II $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

The Whisper Becomes the Push by Corey Wesley. A close-up of a dark face with eyes closed, gold leaf on the eyelids and the lips.

Aluminum artwork36 × 24 in The Whisper Becomes the Push $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Golden Temptation II by Corey Wesley. A pale face with red lips, gold and black paint running down from the eye across the cheek.

Aluminum artwork36 × 24 in Golden Temptation II $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Poured Clean by Corey Wesley. A dark face with eyes closed, white paint running from the eyes like tears and from red lips.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Poured Clean $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Love and Lies by Corey Wesley. Two men's faces pressed together, one dark and one pale with white hair, split by a cracked red seam.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Love and Lies $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Seconds by Corey Wesley. A face split in two, a pale half with eyes closed and a cracked dark half with gold eye shadow and red lips.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Seconds $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Two-Faced $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Harmony by Corey Wesley. Two faces leaning close with eyes closed, one dark and one pale, both covered in fine cracks, in black and white.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Harmony $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Blended Love by Corey Wesley. Two faces merging with eyes closed, one cracked like dry earth, in black and white.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Blended Love $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Complex by Corey Wesley. A face joined down the center by a puzzle-piece seam, a cracked bearded half and a half with red lips.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Complex $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Complexity by Corey Wesley. A face with puzzle pieces breaking away from the left side and red lips on the right.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Complexity $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Contrast Faces by Corey Wesley. Two women's faces joined by a jagged crack, one with platinum hair and red eye shadow, against red.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Contrast Faces $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Duality Broken by Corey Wesley. A face torn in two with eyes closed, a dark half and a pale half with silver hair and red lips.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Duality Broken $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Golden Love by Corey Wesley. Two faces about to kiss, covered in cracked gold leaf, against a red background.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Golden Love $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Irreversible Split by Corey Wesley. Two shaved heads face to face, one masked in white paint with red lips, the other in glossy black.

Aluminum artwork36 × 24 in Irreversible Split $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Split in Silence by Corey Wesley. Two profiles back to back, one pale and one painted glossy red with white stripes, white paint dripping.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Split in Silence $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Gilded Vulnerability by Corey Wesley. A face split dark and pale, gold running from closed eyes, red lips, black paint dripping from above.

Aluminum artwork36 × 24 in Gilded Vulnerability $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

American Paradox by Corey Wesley. A face painted with the American flag, the paint peeling and cracked down the center.

Aluminum artwork36 × 24 in American Paradox $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Golden Temptation by Corey Wesley. A pale face with black hair and red lips, thick gold and black paint dripping over one side.

Aluminum artwork36 × 24 in Golden Temptation $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Red Silence, Black Truth by Corey Wesley. A face half striped black and white with black lips, half covered in dripping red paint.

Aluminum artwork36 × 24 in Red Silence, Black Truth $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Fragmented Promises by Corey Wesley. Two faces joined in the middle, one painted with peeling stars, the other with red and white stripes.

Aluminum artwork36 × 24 in Fragmented Promises $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Clowned by Capitalism by Corey Wesley. A face split pale and dark, gold on the brow and eyelids, gold and silver tears, red lips.

Aluminum artwork36 × 24 in Clowned by Capitalism $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Shedding by Corey Wesley. A face split down the middle, layers of black, white and red paint peeling from one side, red lips.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Shedding $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

The Meltdown by Corey Wesley. A mask-like face, half white and half black, black paint melting down the chin, red lips.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in The Meltdown $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Unshaken Reflection by Corey Wesley. Two faces nose to nose with eyes closed, one black and one white, white paint dripping from the chins.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Unshaken Reflection $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

United Lovers by Corey Wesley. Two faces merged with eyes closed, one pale and one dark, both cracked like old plaster.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in United Lovers $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Cracked Fusion by Corey Wesley. A face split by a jagged black crack, a dark half and a cracked pale half, eyes closed, red lips.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Cracked Fusion $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

The Breakup by Corey Wesley. Two men's faces divided by a cracked gold seam, one crying a red tear, the other a black tear.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in The Breakup $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Tears Flowing by Corey Wesley. A face split by a red seam, a dark half and a pale half, eyes closed, tears streaking down both sides.

Aluminum artwork24 × 36 in Tears Flowing $2,000.00VIEW THE WORK

Why America by Corey Wesley. Two faces with the American flag painted across their mouths, the words WHY and AMERICA on the flags.

Framed fine art24 × 18 in Why America $1,600.00VIEW THE WORK

Love Your Face by Corey Wesley. A face streaked with red and black paint down the forehead and cheeks, LOVE YOUR FACE across the mouth.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in Love Your Face $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

Burning Desire by Corey Wesley. A face with a black bob, split black and red, white paint dripping from closed eyes, red lips.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in Burning Desire $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

2:00 AM by Corey Wesley. A face split dark and pale against black, eyes closed, black paint running down from the top, red lips.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in 2:00 AM $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

Presence Undiminished by Corey Wesley. Two dark profiles nose to nose, a white stripe of paint running down each face, red lips.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in Presence Undiminished $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

Two Truths, One Body by Corey Wesley. Two profiles back to back, a dark one with white drips and a pale one with long lashes and red lips.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in Two Truths, One Body $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

Love in Contrast by Corey Wesley. Two profiles back to back, a white face dripping white paint and a black face with red paint over the eye.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in Love in Contrast $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

The Allure by Corey Wesley. Two pale, cracked faces with lips almost touching, blue eye shadow and red lips.

Framed fine art18 × 24 in The Allure $1,600.00VIEW THE WORK

Unapologetic Embrace by Corey Wesley. Two faces held close with eyes closed, one dark and one covered in cracked white plaster.

Framed fine art18 × 24 in Unapologetic Embrace $1,600.00VIEW THE WORK

Twin Beauty by Corey Wesley. Two faces cheek to cheek, one pale and one dark, the cracked surface breaking into red.

Framed fine art18 × 24 in Twin Beauty $1,600.00VIEW THE WORK

Speechless America by Corey Wesley. Two faces almost touching, the American flag painted over their mouths with SPEECHLESS across each.

Framed fine art18 × 24 in Speechless America $1,600.00VIEW THE WORK

The Face That Trauma Built by Corey Wesley. Two profiles joined as one, a pale side with red lips and a dark side with gold eye shadow.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in The Face That Trauma Built $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

Beautiful Accident by Corey Wesley. A face with cropped hair split down the middle, a cracked gray half and a red half with a gold eyelid.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in Beautiful Accident $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

American Divide by Corey Wesley. Two profiles facing each other, both painted with the American flag, the paint peeling away.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in American Divide $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

Framed fine art18 × 24 in Fractured Identity $1,600.00VIEW THE WORK

Model Divide by Corey Wesley. Two women's profiles back to back, split by a jagged red line, against a red background.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in Model Divide $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

The Villain They Made by Corey Wesley. A face split down the middle, a pale half streaked with black drips and a half with dark eye paint and red lips.

Framed fine art18 × 24 in The Villain They Made $1,600.00VIEW THE WORK

Gold Doesn't Heal by Corey Wesley. A man's face with cracked red patches across the cheek and mouth, gold paint dripping from one eye.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in Gold Doesn't Heal $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

Shiny and Vanished by Corey Wesley. A woman's face split in two, black paint splashing across one side with red eye shadow and red lips.

Framed fine art24 × 36 in Shiny and Vanished $1,800.00VIEW THE WORK

Behind the Faces

Framed and aluminum artworks by Corey Wesley displayed in his Harlem home dining room.

Corey Wesley’s personal archive, photographed in his Harlem home. See the artwork listing for current availability.

What is the cost of being seen?

Being seen asks us to be vulnerable. Yet racial, cultural, and sexual barriers can make it difficult to let someone see who we are. We spend so much time judging our differences that we miss what we share.

The faces in Unapologetic Faces are archetypes, not portraits. They come from my writing, my experiences, and the feelings those connections left with me. This is my love letter to the human experience. I want us to take the time to see one another.

I don't pick anything that isn't up to my standard, and my standard is high. When I choose a piece, it has reached its excellence.

Meet the artist

From a Viewer

“The expressions and visual treatment make the figures feel emotionally exposed, almost as if they are confronting the viewer rather than simply being observed.”

Claudette Branch

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Choose a work and enter your wall measurements. See its scale in your room, then explore photographs from Corey’s Harlem home when they’re available.

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Collectors, designers, and hospitality spaces can contact Corey about availability, scale, placement, or acquisition.

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Face Art by Corey Wesley, Harlem NYC

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Unapologetic Faces

What is the cost of being seen?

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