Social Spotlight: It’s a Jungle Out There for Corey Wash

On view through April 17 at ABXY gallery in New York is L.A.-based artist Corey Wash’s “It’s a Jungle Out Here.” Wash’s third solo exhibition (co-curated by the gallery’s founder, Allison Barker) welcomes visitors to a rainforest installation of new work. The show looks at deforestation and the dangers of consumption, heightening awareness of environmental fragility, political uncertainty, and our technological future.

On her Instagram, Wash opens herself up to the world in an honest and unique way. Along with photos of her art, she shines light on issues surrounding feminism, fashion, self-love, and more. For our newest Social Spotlight, Whitewall heard from Wash.

WHITEWALL: Who do you follow on Instagram?

COREY WASH: @malik.roberts.art: I like the way that he shows his work. He’s always putting up his finished paintings—something I don’t do. I typically will post works in progress, but he will post his process and the finished product. I feel like I can really follow his journey.  He’s really active. Going to his page is a one stop shop.

@grave_: Grave doesn’t post like that but he’s always taking videos. I like his page because it’s a cross between two worlds. When you first go to it you see a lot of his collage work, and I like going to his page because I get to see things that I saw in his studio but haven’t had a chance to see the finished product. It’s interesting because he doesn’t buy his materials, but he finds everything—like one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. He’ll find these objects but you never know what he’s going to do with it.  I also like his black and white photos—because he’s also a photographer—the duality of that.

@vernonomeally: Vernon I love, because his stories are great. He has a bunch of monkeys and chimps—there’s always a narrative, but he’s always using animals.  I love his art but go to his page for his stories—there’s always a comedic narrative.

@zeehanwazhed: I like Z’s page because he’s a dancer and I love watching him dance in the middle of his art. His art involves movement, and that’s kind of a message in his work. He’ll have on a t-shirt that he painted, while dancing in front of a mural that he painted. I always think that’s cool.

@geordanbriscoe: Obviously this is my favorite, this is my bestie. If I don’t get the pictures sent to my phone beforehand, I love going to her page to see her modeling, creative direction, or her posting the art that she loves. She has a really good eye, and posts these breathless pictures of herself or her inspiration, something she found online through someone else. This is my heart and soul page. She’ll post editorials, South African art—it can be anything. But I love that she mixes dope inspiration into her own work as well.

@abxyles: I love the ABXY Insta because you can see the gallery’s entire roster of talent—anytime any of us have a show, there’s so much information about the exhibition and who the artist is. There are always updates. If you want to get an idea of who ABXY is and the roster consists of, you get a sense of who everyone is, what their art looks like, and how we all support each other as well.

All of these people are amazing artists and friends.

WW: What is your #1 tip for social media?

CW: Do you. Use it for what you want to use it for, meaning, if you use Insta just to be on some personal shit, just use it for that. Don’t be intimidated by what you see. Be inspired. And be yourself. If you want to use it for business practices, do the same. Don’t be intimidated. Look at the competition. Look at who is making money off Instagram and take notes and see the things that work out for them. See if it may work for you. But make it your own. For example, if good lighting and great quality photos works for someone else, maybe try to implement that for yourself.

WW: What’s your best social media interaction?

CW: My best social media interactions are with my best friend Geordan. We’re either hyping each other up or sending memes back and forth. As far as the worst? This girl recently replied to an Insta story I posted of myself and my boyfriend, Melo, saying that she needed to see a sex tape from us. I replied to her, “No, you need to learn how not to be inappropriate.” So I guess that’s the other thing, just shutting people down in my DMs. [Laughs] It’s a never ending cycle.

WW: One rule you live by on social?

CW: It’s not that deep.