WHAAM! is pleased to present the third solo exhibition of new paintings by Justin Hager, on view February 27 through April 10, 2026, at 15 Elizabeth Street, New York.

This new body of work marks a heightened moment in Hager’s practice. While earlier exhibitions explored vulnerability, myth, and the beauty within tension, these paintings lean further into emotional intensity—driven largely by color. Electric pinks, acid yellows, and saturated blues charge the canvas, creating atmospheres that feel restless, urgent, and quietly hopeful all at once.

Hager revisits his recurring star-faced, androgynous figures—characters that have become central to his visual language. Here, they feel more exposed. Subtle shifts in expression and distinct hairstyles introduce individuality, allowing each figure to hold its own emotional presence. Surrounded by fields of vibrating color, they appear suspended between fragility and resilience.

For the first time, Hager incorporates silver leaf into his oil paintings. The reflective surface catches and refracts light, adding a shifting luminosity to the work. At moments, it reads as celestial; at others, it feels disruptive—an interruption within the intensity of the painted surface.

Layered across several canvases are instinctive pencil scribbles—raw, almost childlike marks that cut through the saturated oils. These gestures introduce immediacy and vulnerability, standing in contrast to the richness of the paint. The result is a push and pull between control and abandon, polish and honesty.

Though visually more volatile in its chromatic force, the work remains rooted in Hager’s enduring themes: angst intertwined with hope, tension balanced by tenderness. His figures stand steady within emotional turbulence—radiant, strange, and persistent.

About Justin Hager

Justin Hager (b. 1982, Bakersfield, California) is a self-taught artist who creates emotionally charged oil paintings populated by star-faced, androgynous figures, animals, and celestial motifs. His work balances tension, vulnerability, and hope, blending vibrant color, childlike gestures, and brief textual elements to evoke a world of intimate fantasy. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in the US and internationally, including San Francisco, New York, Denmark, England and Sweden. Recent solo exhibitions include Whaam! (2026, 2025, 2024) and Salt and Pepper Gallery, Tokyo (2025, 2023, 2020). Hager lives and works in New York.