One Night Stand | NYC

One Night Stand | Neil Gilks

A Powerful Dialogue Between Art and Space: The first solo exhibition by Brooklyn based, British artist and Illustrator: Neil Gilks.

Set within the first floor of a classic Bushwick family home—originally constructed during the mid-20th century amid Brooklyn’s surge of immigration and urban development—the exhibition reimagines a domestic space as a compelling site for contemporary art.

High-ceilinged, living rooms offered an expansive environment for viewers to experience the work as both curated installations and intimate, scaled-down portfolios. The spaces encouraged tactile engagement and invited reflection on the intersection of art, memory, and everyday life.

In a striking shift in tone, the home’s small back bedroom became a moody, dimly blue-lit enclave housing a unique collage installation. This evocative immediate work weaved together fragments of private conversations, fleeting thoughts, and pointed provocations—capturing the transient and deeply personal nature of the city and domestic experience.

The exhibition offered an unexpected, immersive encounter that blured the lines between public display and private reflection, curated space and lived-in place.

Gilks is a British trained creative, schooled at Central St. Martins, London. A twenty-year dedication to fashion design, its advancement and education, parallels his deep interest in creating imagery that questions consumerism, identity, branding and ownership.

Neil always drew. In recent years his depictions of males became the focus of his work offering glimpses into desirability, power and role.

His current practice examines masculinity and the male form. Themes of beauty, subversion, architypes, fashion, street and high culture are explored through a multi layered juxtaposition of global influences. His ability to seduce with such an economy of line speaks to his direct appreciation of beards, men, cock and gratification. Some could say his works of male figures and portraits explore the iconography and troupes found in gay culture - Neil would say he draws what he’s drawn to.

Gilks’s work has been featured in numerous editorials and group exhibitions internationally. His collaborations have allowed for fertile creative relationships, whilst his growing following have made for avid collectors. Published illustrated books, album covers and fashion sited graphics expose his breadth of work.

Buyer inquires: @neilsecluded