Wayne White, 'Language is a Trick'

“Language is a Trick,” a new exhibit by award-winning artist Wayne White, opens Thursday, October 5, in Haley Gallery. The Chattanooga-born artist, art director, illustrator, and puppeteer has used his memories of the South to create inspired works for film, television, and the fine art world for almost four decades.

In 1986, White became a designer for the hit CBS television show “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which received Emmy recognition. He has also worked on music videos, winning Billboard and MTV Music Video awards as an art director for seminal music videos, including the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight” and Peter Gabriel’s “Big Time.” His illustrations have been published in the “East Village Eye,” “New York Times,” “Raw Magazine,” and the “Village Voice.”

White’s new exhibit features twenty brand-new Word Paintings, vintage landscape reproductions integrating oversized, three-dimensional text with humorous or thought-provoking messages, as well as sketches and abstracts from his notebook.

The exhibit opening, Thursday, October 5, from 5:00–9:00 PM, will also feature a musical performance by the artist.

Pictured above: Wayne White. “NUH-UH,” 2023.