Erik Foss is a self-taught American artist, born in Elgin, Illinois, in 1973 and raised in the desert outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona. His early influences were shaped by the American cultural landscape—rooted in a religious upbringing, skateboarding, underground music, and other defining elements of late 20th-century subcultures.

In 1996, Foss relocated to New York City, where he immersed himself in downtown Manhattan’s nightlife, the skateboarding scene, and the burgeoning DIY (Do-It-Yourself) gallery movement. The DIY scene, a grassroots, artist-led movement, enabled artists to create and exhibit work independently of traditional commercial galleries or institutional frameworks. This cultural ecosystem became a lasting foundation for Foss’s artistic sensibilities and continues to inform his work today.

Foss’s legacy is deeply intertwined with his stewardship of the legendary New York City nightclub Lit Lounge and its adjoining gallery, Fuse. He co-founded the space with artist David Schwartz in 2002, with acclaimed art critic and curator Carlo McCormick serving as its resident host. Fuse Gallery closed in 2013, followed by Lit Lounge a couple years later. The space became a creative hub, showcasing the work of emerging and now-prominent artists, including Dash Snow, Dan Colen, Nate Lowman, Ryan McGinley, Todd James, Eddie Martinez, and H.R. Giger, among others. Simultaneously, Foss continued to develop his own practice, gaining recognition for his paintings, drawings, and collages.

His career gained early momentum when Robin Williams became his first celebrity collector. In 2011, Williams’ son, Zak Williams, invited Foss to mount his first major solo show, “Avarice”, at Mallick Williams & Co. in New York. The exhibition was well received and led to institutional recognition: the American Academy of Arts and Letters acquired one of his paintings and placed it in the permanent collection of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona. Years later, the Academy purchased another large-scale abstract work, now held in the Dorsky Museum of Art in New Paltz, New York.

Foss’s rising profile and collaborative projects—including with the streetwear brand Supreme—eventually culminated in his first solo exhibition in Asia. In 2023, he presented a solo show at Kaikai Kiki Gallery in Tokyo, the gallery founded by Takashi Murakami.

Foss recently began a licensing collaboration with Bandai Namco, one of the world’s largest video game companies, centered on Pac-Man. The project resulted in works exhibited at the Sentosa Carnaval and at Cont9ct Gallery in Singapore. In addition, a separate licensing agreement with Toho—the iconic Japanese film studio behind the Godzilla franchise—is currently under discussion.

Foss currently lives and works in New York City, producing paintings, drawings, and bronze sculptures. He continues to collaborate with several galleries including the newly established Future Forward (fwd) Gallery and Zepster Gallery in New York, as well as Kaikai Kiki Gallery in Tokyo, and Plan X Gallery and Cellar Contemporary Art in Italy. He has presented multiple solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows and art fairs.

Current & Upcoming Exhibitions/Projects:

An exhibition with Future Forward (fwd), a newly established gallery, is planned for September 2026 in New York (Solo Show)

A large-scale Snake sculpture has been commissioned and is scheduled for public exhibition in Southeast Asia this year (Project)

“Have a Heart”, Zepster Gallery, New York, USA (Group Show, February 6-March 8, 2026)

“Working Through It”, Group Therapy, New York, USA (Group Show, Jan 23-February 28, 2026)

“Friends with the Owner”, Library 180, New York, USA (Group Show, January 22-February 20, 2026)

“Pac-Man”, collaboration with Bandai Namco, with works presented at Sentosa Carnival and Cont9ct Gallery, Singapore (Licensing Project, activation in December 2025)

Completed Exhibitions/Projects:

“Anti-Fascist Zine Fair”, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), San Francisco, USA (Group Show,     

November 22, 2025)

“Arthaus 2025” Ethan Cohen Gallery, Basel, Switzerland (Art Fair, June 14-21, 2025)

“Expo Chicago 2025“, Ethan Cohen Gallery, Chicago, USA (Art Fair, April 24-27, 2025)

“Goodbye Horses“, Ethan Cohen Gallery, New York, USA (Group Show, February 6-March 22, 2025)

“Art Palm Beach 2025”, Ethan Cohen Gallery, Palm Beach, USA (Art Fair, January 15-February 15, 2025)

“Cherry Picking“, The Hole, New York, USA (Group Show, January 14-30, 2025)

“Art Dubai 2024” Plan X Gallery, Dubai, UAE (Art Fair, March 1-3, 2024)

“Triumph Over Self”, Plan X Gallery, Milan, Italy (Group Show, February 22-March 17, 2024)

“Flower Power”, Cellar Contemporary Art, Trent, Italy (Group Show, February 21-March 15, 2024)

“I Was Only Dreaming”, Club Rhubarb, New York, USA (Group Show, December 1, 2023-January 28, 2024)

“Roma Arte in Nuvola 2023”, Cellar Contemporary Art, Rome, Italy (Art Fair, November 23-26, 2023)

“ArtVerona 2023”, Cellar Contemporary Art, Verone, Italy (Art Fair, October 13-15, 2023)

“Snakes and Shapes”, Cellar Contemporary Art, Trent, Italy (Group Show, October 5-December 7, 2023)

“The Armory Show 2023”, Kaikai Kiki Gallery, New York, USA (Group Show, September 7-10, 2023)

“Carnival“, Kaikai Kiki Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (Solo Show, April 8-28, 2023)

“Contemporary Approaches to Abstraction” Shin Gallery, New York, USA (Group Show, March 16-April 6, 2023)

“Untitled: An Insight on US Art on Paper”, Cellar Contemporary Art, Trent, Italy (Group Show, August 7-September 16, 2022)

“Songs of Spring”, Août Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon (Group Show, August 2022)

“Unearthed by JC”, Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami, USA (Group Show, August 8-September 4, 2021)

“Serpents and Rainbows”, New Image Art Gallery, Los Angeles, USA (Solo Show, April 17-May 15, 2021)   

“Échafaudage”, Galerie C.O.A, Montreal, Canada, (Group Show, June 11-July 11, 2020)

“Erik Foss: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy”, Padre Gallery, New York, USA (Solo Show, April 2-May 16, 2020)

“Good Taste”, Dover Street Market, Los Angeles, USA (Group Show, August 22-28, 2019)

“Erik Foss: The Harvest”, Boo-Hooray, Montauk, USA (Solo Show, September 15-28, 2018)

“Should Your Soul Rise Up to Heaven Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”, Castor Gallery, USA, (Solo Show, September 6-October 7, 2017)

Evolution is part of the “Double Pallet” series, a body of 15 works that explores the outer edges of abstraction and biography. The series comprises large-scale canvases executed in oil, pencil, and water-based paint, distinguished by vivid color fields and dynamic, layered compositions. Each work features two distinct palettes—hence the title “Double Pallet”—set in dialogue across the surface.

These paintings operate like nervous systems, registering impact without explicitly naming it. Each functions simultaneously as scar and signal, forming a kind of emotional architecture. Evolution is number 11 of 15 in the series.