Forbidden Gaze
The look you were not supposed to hold
Inquiries for this piece are handled directly by Corey Wesley and the Milton Wes Art studio.
The look you were not supposed to hold. Hold it anyway.
Forbidden Gaze is about the eyes that stay where they have been told not to. The refusal is quiet, but it is still a refusal.
This one-of-one framed work by Harlem artist Corey Wesley is part of Unapologetic Faces: The Cost of Being Seen.
The work has been acquired and is privately held.
Explore more from Unapologetic Faces: Burning Desire, The Allure, and Passionate Lovers.
Contact Corey Wesley About This Piece
Corey Wesley
Harlem shaped his practice: the faces on the subway, in recovery rooms, and in the space between performance and collapse. He creates what remains when the face stops performing.
His proprietary mixed-media process combines writing, Photoshop, Illustrator, and modern technology, including AI-assisted tools. Over days or months, he refines symbolism, color, composition, facial structure, and emotional tone until each work carries his recognizable visual language.
The faces in these works are archetypes. They belong to everyone. And no one.
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Each one of one. Once acquired, it does not return.
