We had the good fortune of connecting with Caleb Wheeler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caleb, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
I’ve come to embrace the idea that success isn’t always the end result of a process or project, but sometimes the genesis. My art practice is foremost rooted in my mental health. I was struggling deeply in 2021 and realized if I didn’t confront patterns of fear and self-loathing at 30, they would calcify and bury me by 60. So I leaned into psychotherapy and psychiatry. I did the work, showed up for myself, and the clarity I gained fed directly into my desire to literally build my way through ideas. Without the constant bonfire smoke of anxiety hanging over me, I got out of my own way and became willing to create for no reason other than my own curiosity. That freedom quickly evolved into sculpture and assemblage, which were mediums I’d never engaged in before. My success in self-care produced the work, not the other way around, and getting to show in galleries is now a humbling dividend.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I carry a certain existentialism around the ancient past and how cut off we are from the earliest points of our species. We’re so consumed by modernity that it can feel like science fiction when an anthropologist unpacks the last 300,000 years. Despite this dissonance, I find there are through lines from then to now, particularly in structural materiality and our tendency to apply spiritual meaning to physical forms. I try to elevate common, unremarkable materials by assembling them into imagery that evokes that scope of time, while acknowledging that our present will inevitably become ancient as well. The more people I show the work to, the more I see how quickly that primal switch can be flipped through aesthetics. It’s been interpreted as metaphysical meditation, ephemerality, speculative futurism, even paganism. One person said it made them want to tear their flesh off… Ultimately, I just strive to make things that convey my own fascination with how vast this continuum of biology and civilization really is.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m infatuated with Grand Central Market, it’s by far my favorite spot in the city for lunch and people-watching. Bunker Hill is a brutalist paradise with the Lawrence Halprin steps and Westin Bonaventure, the lobby of which is a nice place to post up with a book or laptop. Huntington Gardens is a genuine oasis, particularly the Australian and Sub-Tropical sections. Living on the westside, I’m partial to the Ballona Wetlands, and frequent a little lunch shack right on the sand in El Segundo simply called “Surf Food Stand”. The Hammer Museum never disappoints, and while it’s no great secret, Getty Center is a perfect way to spend a day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife, Ashley. She is endlessly encouraging, collaborative, and gracious in the midst of my sometimes hectic workflow. Whether it’s populating our apartment with half-finished pieces or asking her to forage for concrete and hyper-specific types of earth with me, she’s always game. I have a partner who’s willing to play in the sandbox, which means I’m never lonely.

Website: https://calebwheeler.art

Instagram: @wheeler_cb

Image Credits
Caleb Wheeler, Sarah Croswhite, Ashley Wheeler

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