Mary
van
de
Wiel
One day, a Venezuelan born, New York-based and Dutch sea captain’s daughter landed in the middle of Mexico, picked up a brush and a can of black house paint and, for the first time in her life, started to paint floor to ceiling. It turned her world upside down.
The scale of her work grew big, bold and impulsive. It kicked off in a studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, exploded floor to ceiling in Brooklyn, and then in Sydney, Australia, burst across murals, gallery windows, home furnishing, upholstery and wall coverings. No wonder. Van believes that art has a pulse. (Just like we do.) It belongs in everyday life. Not just on walls. That’s why she couldn’t resist interpreting her paintings across different platforms, mediums and textures.
In 2015, Van had her first successful exhibition at the Saint Cloche Gallery in Sydney. A year later, she was invited to exhibit at Galeria Manuk in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In September 2019 in New York City, Black Line Crazy’s first commissioned public Art Installation, What Were They Thinking, was unveiled in the UBS corporate bank lobby at 1285 Avenue of the Americas and West 51 Street, NYC. Note: The installation is still up in 2021.
Her exuberance as a design thinker has always taken center stage. For 30 years, Van was Chief Creative Officer of her own award-winning branding agency with offices in New York and Sydney working with Fortune 500 clients. www.maryvandewiel.com With Black Line Crazy, she relishes walking outside the line, and this is her invitation to walk outside the line with her.
Back in Mexico, she’s recently launched her first BLC Limited Edition Collection. Each piece is based on a signed original abstract painting. Starting with messenger bags, her work now includes totes and zippered portfolio sleeves. The BLC Wool Collection of handwoven area rugs and throws have followed, and a new collection of homewares are in the making. Watch this space!
30 Seconds
Exhibitions
New York City | 1285 Avenue of the Americas
Sept 14, 2019 –
Unveiled in the UBS corporate bank lobby at 1285 Avenue of the Americas & West 51 Street, van de Wiel’s first public art installation was commissioned by And Partners which acts as ‘co-curators’ on behalf of its clients. Located in a massive interior walkway, her 4 x5 ft artworks are encased in five vitrine windows. In addition, her Black Line Crazy black vinyl graphics are spilling across the entire line up of 15 glass panels. It’s still up.”We see opportunities with artists like Mary van de Wiel to make original works at 1285 Avenue of the Americas as a great example of the intersection of contemporary art and commerce,” said David Schimmel, founder and CEO of And Partners. Viewing Hours: Weekdays 9am-5:30pm
