February 13, 2022
Wells Chandler
Recorded on a cold and snowy February day, this show is the perfect CHRISTMAS mixtape. Wells Chandler joined Nate Heiges to talk about queer Santa, hip hop holidays, and his show at Soloway Gallery in Brooklyn, "HOs in This House." Oh, Santa Baby!
Complete playlist below; tracks in yellow were cut for time.
- Bow Down, Westside Connection, 1996
- Ho, Ludicris, 2000
- WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion), Cardi B., 2020
- All I Want for Christmas, Mariah Carey, 1994
- Last Christmas, Wham!, 1984
- Please Come Home for Christmas, Charles Brown, 1960
- Blue Christmas, Elvis Presley, 1957
- Merry Christmas Everyone, Shakin’ Stevens, 1985
- The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late), Alvin & The Chipmunks, David Seville, 1958
- Christmas in Hollis, Run DMC, 1987
- Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer, Elmo & Patsy, 1979
- Run Rudolph Run, Chuck Berry, 1958
- Frosty the Snowman, Willie Nelson, 1979
- Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt, 1953
- Santa Claus and the Amanita Muscaria Mushroom, Terence McKenna, date unknown
- Santa Is a Gay Man, Big Freedia, 2016
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, The Ronettes, 1963
- Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (SLY remix), Shaka Loves You (sampling James Brown), 2021
- Little Saint Nick, The Beach Boys, 1963
- Santa Claus, Santa Claus; James Brown, 1968
- Linus & Lucy, The Vince Guaraldi Trio, 1964
Wells Chandler (he/him) is a Bronx based artist who explores ecology, community, gender and queer iconography through the mediums of crochet, embroidery, drawing and cake. He received his MFA from Yale University in 2011 where he was awarded the Ralph Mayer Prize for proficiency in materials and techniques. From 2016-17 he was a recipient of the Sharpe Walentas Studio Program. Chandler is a 2015 Queer Art Mentorship fellow paired with the inimitable Angela Dufresne. Recent solo exhibitions include Soloway (Brooklyn, NY), Andrew Rafacz (Chicago, IL), Diablo Rosso (Panama City, Panama), Galerie Eric Mouchet (Paris, France), MOCA Tucson (Tucson, AZ), Mrs. (Maspeth, NY), and Union Gallery (London, England) . Recent group exhibitions include Leslie Lohman Museum of Art (NY), Museo Tamayo (Mexico City, Mexico), The Pensacola Museum of Art (FL), Choi and Lager (Cologne, Germany), and Marvin Gardens (Queens, NY). His work has been reviewed by Roxane Gay, Art Forum, The New York Times, Hyperallergic, The Huffington Post, TimeOut, Modern Painters, Maake Magazine, Two Coats of Paint and AEQAI.