Buddha Plays Monk Series 2012-2015 The Buddha Plays Monk series is comprised of approximately 25 mostly blue acrylic on linen paintings. Fifteen are compiled into a grid to make a single large piece. The rest remain as individual pieces. These paintings are inspired by the thought of the Buddha and the jazz musician, Thelonious Monk, having a conversation. The two “monks,” Lewis speculates, “would talk about the power of music and have a great laugh.” Viewers immediately observe how the paint moves across the surface with different time signatures in an ocular world analogous to the Jazz Monk’s compositions.

Artist Bio

PETER WAYNE LEWIS was born in Kingston, Jamaica, immigrating to Sacramento, CA with his parents in 1962, and becoming an American citizen in 1983. He received his M.A. in Painting from San Jose State University in California and became a tenured Professor of Painting at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston for 25 years, including a stint as Chairman of the Department. He maintains an ambitious studio practice, splitting his time between the New York Metro area and Beijing, China, where he is also the Director of Oasis Gallery-Beijing. Peter’s influences are global, ranging from his early attraction to Japanese prints to a lifelong interest in music, the legacy of his jazz-pianist father. More recently, he has become intrigued by theoretical cosmology and quantum physics, especially string theory, a concept which has pushed his work into new territory, notably in the series Buddha Plays Monk. His expansive abstract language negotiates a balance between spontaneity and precise control - an amalgam that offers an intense intellectual and visual experience. Peter has exhibited extensively in the US, Africa, Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Recent solo exhibitions include The Delaware Contemporary (2019-2020) in Wilmington, DE; a survey of paintings produced in his studio in Beijing at UCCA - Ullens Center of Contemporary Art in Beijing (curated by Philip Tinari, 2016); and MOCA-North Miami (2015) as well as gallery exhibitions on three continents. He is in numerous public and private collections in the U.S. and abroad.


Curatorial Projects

2018 White Anxieties, WhiteBox Harlem, NYC 2014 Viewpoints: 20 Years of Adderly, MassArt Art Museum, Massachusetts University of Art & Design, Boston, MA 2013 4321, Matthias Kuper Galleries Stuttgart / Beijing, Beijing, China 2012 Beijing Biennial, National Art Museum of China (NAMOC), Beijing, China Exhibition of International Artists, Inside-Out Art Museum (IOAM), Beijing, China 2008 Olympic Fine Art Exhibition Convention Center Beijing, China Grand Opening Sunshine International Art Museum Beijing, China Queen Nanny of the Maroons, In conjunction with the Embassy of Jamaica, Two Lines Gallery, 798 District, Beijing, China Perfume Painting, Two Lines Gallery, 798 District, Beijing, China Boston High Tea #2 Master Print+ In conjunction with Massachusetts College of Art Foundation, Two Lines Gallery, 798 District, Beijing, China Marathon, Two Lines Gallery, 798 District, Beijing, China


Professional Affiliations

Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts University of Art & Design, Boston, MA Director, Oasis Gallery, Beijing, China Director, Advisory Board, WhiteBox, Harlem, NYC