Tyler Rexeisen, known professionally as T-REX or Rex, is an American contemporary visual artist born and raised in Southern California and based in Los Angeles, California. He is recognized for his raw, rebellious aesthetic that blends fine art with street culture and underground influences, often using art as a form of therapeutic self-expression. Rexeisen has gained prominence through solo exhibitions such as "Not Today Satan" in 2021, which featured his iconic devil character exploring themes of inner humanity and rebellion. His work has also extended into commercial projects, including pop-up experiences and collaborations in streetwear and design, attracting attention from major figures in the art and fashion industries.
EARLY LIFE
Tyler Rexeisen was born and raised in Southern California. Growing up in Bellflower, a suburb near Long Beach in Los Angeles County, he was immersed in the region's urban environment from an early age.
During his childhood, Rexeisen's experiences in Bellflower's street culture significantly shaped his interests and aesthetic sensibilities. He became deeply involved in skateboarding and streetwear scenes, which exposed him to diverse forms of visual art and underground influences that would later inform his rebellious style. These elements of Southern California's vibrant, gritty youth culture provided an early foundation for blending street elements with fine art in his work.
Rexeisen also faced personal challenges in his youth that influenced his approach to creativity. An unfavorable relationship with his first girlfriend served as an initial muse, leading him to develop recurring motifs like female figures painted in red with devil horns, stemming from what he described as an "unfortunate trauma." This experience marked the beginning of his use of art as a therapeutic tool for self-reflection and processing emotions, transforming personal struggles into expressive output. He later pursued art classes in high school to further develop his style.
EDUCATION AND INFLUENCES
Tyler Rexeisen attended art school in Los Angeles, where he began developing his artistic skills within a formal educational environment. However, he was ultimately expelled from the institution, an event that marked the beginning of his independent artistic journey outside traditional academic structures.
Following his expulsion, Rexeisen immediately turned to art as a therapeutic outlet, creating his iconic devil-horned female character as a means of processing personal emotions. This character, often depicted in red paint, originated from his experiences in a challenging past relationship with his first girlfriend, whom he used as a muse, transforming feelings of negativity into a form of self-expression.
Rexeisen's formative influences were deeply rooted in personal trauma and mental health challenges, which he channeled through his artwork to achieve emotional balance. The Los Angeles art scene played a pivotal role in shaping his self-taught techniques, allowing him to blend raw, rebellious aesthetics with influences from street culture and underground elements, evolving his devil-horned figure into a broader symbol of societal self-destruction and ironic guardianship.
CAREER BEGINNINGS
Following his expulsion from art school, Tyler Rexeisen launched his professional art career by focusing on therapeutic self-expression through painting, creating initial works that featured provocative red devilish female figures as symbols of self-destruction and personal trauma.[9][3] These early paintings drew from his own experiences, using a muse inspired by a past relationship to explore themes of emotional turmoil, irony, and societal vices, which he rendered in bold red hues with devil horns to represent broader human struggles.
To brand his raw, underground aesthetic, Rexeisen early on adopted the aliases T-REX and Rex, which became integral to his identity as a visual artist blending rebellion with accessibility. These monikers reflected his influences from Southern California's skateboarding and streetwear scenes, helping him establish a distinct presence in the art world shortly after leaving formal education.
Rexeisen's first forays into merging fine art with street culture involved experimental commercial projects, such as custom skateboard decks and plush dolls featuring his iconic devil characters, which served as wearable and functional extensions of his paintings. These initial endeavors, including airbrushed designs on skateboards and a limited-edition T-Rex Big Head Plush Doll, marked his entry into underground fashion and collectibles, blurring the boundaries between gallery art and everyday street items.
RISE TO RECOGNITION
Rexeisen's emergence in the contemporary art scene occurred in 2021 with his solo exhibition "Not Today Satan" at Serving the People in Los Angeles, marking his debut as a prominent LA-based artist. This show showcased his raw, therapeutic style and garnered initial critical attention, establishing him as a rising figure blending street culture with fine art.
His profile grew significantly through a robust online presence, particularly on Instagram under the handle @t_rexglobal, where he shares his works and engages with a global audience. Complementing this, Rexeisen's pieces have been sold via reputable platforms like StockX's DropX, including exclusive items such as the T-Rex Big Head Plush Doll, which broadened his reach to collectors and fans.[3] Additionally, his artworks have appeared at auction houses like Heritage Auctions, further validating his commercial success and visibility in the art market.
Rexeisen's international expansion was propelled by his collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who selected his work for endorsement and invited him to hold his first Asian solo exhibition at the Kaikai Kiki gallery in Japan. This partnership signified global recognition, highlighting his growing influence beyond the U.S. art scene.
PRESS
https://www.dazeddigital.com/dazed100/2024/us/65125
https://stockx.com/news/art-as-therapy-an-interview-w-t-rex/
https://hypebeast.com/2021/7/vices-by-t-rex-aka-tyler-rexeisen-hbx-release-info
https://officemagazine.net/rex-sees-devil-us-all
https://www.complex.com/style/a/complexstaff3/tyler-t-rex-rexeisen-her-pop-up-complex-la
https://www.vogue.com.tw/lifestyle/article/tyler-rexeisen-exhibition