Milton Wes Art · Debut Solo Exhibition · New York City

Unapologetic Faces:
The Cost of Being Seen

Installation views and documentation from Corey Wesley’s debut solo exhibition, curated by the artist, with invited artists Scott M. Lilly and Ayiana Viviana. One of one contemporary works on archival museum-quality aluminum and framed fine art, presented at Goddard Riverside in New York City.

March 2026 Bernie Wohl Center · Goddard Riverside New York City One of One Works

Artist Statement

The work that
became this series.

Unapologetic Faces began with an earlier idea I called Crack Faces. I was meeting people moving through transitional moments in life, and as I spoke with them, I began to see both fracture and beauty in the face. What first appeared as hardship revealed something deeper, resilience, vulnerability, history, and presence.

Over time, the work evolved into a broader meditation on the human experience and the emotional cost of being seen. The faces are archetypes, not any one person. They belong to everyone and no one. This series reflects the truth that our faces carry stories, and that within what others may overlook, there is often extraordinary depth, strength, and beauty.

Corey Wesley · Milton Wes Art · Harlem, New York

Exhibition

Unapologetic Faces: The Cost of Being Seen

Venue

Bernie Wohl Center · Goddard Riverside · New York City

Opening Reception

March 6, 2026

Goddard Riverside · New York · March 2026

Inside the Exhibition

Installation views and opening night from the debut of Unapologetic Faces: The Cost of Being Seen.

Installation view of the Unapologetic Faces series at Corey Wesley’s debut exhibition in New York City. One of one contemporary works on archival museum-quality aluminum.
Visitors with the Unapologetic Faces series during Corey Wesley’s debut exhibition. Each work holds identity, presence, and the emotional weight carried in a human face.
Corey Wesley standing alongside one of the featured works from the Unapologetic Faces series during the opening of his debut exhibition in New York City.
Opening night at Corey Wesley’s debut exhibition. Collectors, visitors, and community members experiencing the Unapologetic Faces series in person.
Guests viewing the Unapologetic Faces series at Corey Wesley’s debut exhibition. The faces are archetypes, not any one person.
Corey Wesley with Manon, director at Goddard Riverside, and Eva, during the opening of Unapologetic Faces: The Cost of Being Seen in New York City.
Opening night at Corey Wesley’s debut exhibition of Unapologetic Faces: The Cost of Being Seen in New York City, where collectors, supporters, and visitors gathered to experience the series.
Visitors engaging with the Unapologetic Faces series at Corey Wesley’s debut exhibition. The series holds identity, vulnerability, and the story a face carries before a word is spoken.
Corey Wesley discussing one of the exhibited works with Tiffany, contributor at Brown Style Magazine, during opening night of Unapologetic Faces in New York City.
Corey Wesley with fellow artists Scott M. Lilly and Ayiana Viviana at his debut exhibition of Unapologetic Faces: The Cost of Being Seen in New York City.
A visitor viewing one of the large scale works from the Unapologetic Faces series, one of one on archival museum-quality aluminum, by Harlem artist Corey Wesley.
Guests exploring the Unapologetic Faces exhibition during Corey Wesley’s debut New York City presentation of one of one contemporary works.

From a Viewer

“What stood out most is that the artwork isn't simply about looking at someone's face—it's about what happens when we allow ourselves to be looked at, understood, judged, or misunderstood. The faces become a way of exploring identity, resilience, and the emotional risk of being visible.”

Claudette Branch

Opening Night

A full circle moment, and a way to say thank you.

More than 300 people registered through Goddard Riverside's official Eventbrite page. Goddard Riverside counted 150 attendees during the March 6 opening reception, held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., where Corey Wesley shared the walls with invited artists Scott M. Lilly and Ayiana Viviana.

On March 28, 2026, Corey donated the original work The Awakening to Goddard Riverside for its Taft Senior Center program in East Harlem.

The faces are archetypes. They belong to everyone and no one. In person they take on a life a screen cannot hold.

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