Designer Kelly Wearstler has spent her career inviting artists into her interior projects and commissioning work that brings her clients’ spaces to life. With Side Hustle, her new curatorial platform, she’s reversing that familiar dynamic. Side Hustle’s mission is built around the idea that artists should lead their own experimental work, with Kelly stepping in as a creative partner rather than a client.
Designer Kelly Wearstler reverses her usual role with Side Hustle, a new platform where artists lead experimental projects and she becomes the supporting partner rather than the client. Photo by Austin Calvello
Side Hustle operates as both a digital platform and a series of physical exhibitions. The inaugural show, “Again, Differently,” opened on October 16 at a Beverly Hills pool house, and brought together nine artists from the US, UK, Europe, and South America: Dozie Kanu, Joana Schneider, Mariko Makino, Nynke Koster, Sam Klemick, Sonia Gomes, Leonor Antunes, Karl Holmqvist, and Madeline Hollander.
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- The inaugural exhibition “Again, Differently” features nine international artists exploring how repetition and recurring forms can generate entirely new meanings. Above: Hollywood chair by Sam Klemick Photo by Paige Campbell
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- California-based artist Sam Klemick. Photo by Justin Chung
The show was organized around the idea that recurring forms, patterns, and gestures can generate entirely new meanings. Each artist worked through repetition, transforming salvaged textiles, architectural fragments, and worn garments through processes of trying, failing, and reimagining. The materials used ranged from rubber molds and timber to neon, textiles, and bronze. Producer and DJ Kenny Beats scored the show, and Perfumehead crafted an atmospheric scent.
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- Side Hustle spans sculpture, painting, craft, jewelry, music, performance, film, culinary culture, automotive design, and sport with no prescribed aesthetic. Photo by Paige Campbell
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- Print on Mirror series by Swedish artist Karl Holmqvist. Photo by Austin Cavello
Side Hustle’s accompanying online platform, sidehustlegallery.com, allows visitors worldwide to experience the works remotely and discover behind-the-scenes stories about each artist’s process.
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- Nastro di Gala Bench by Italian sculptor Agenore Fabbri. Photo by Austin Cavello
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- Aritst Dozie Kanu and Kelly Wearstler. Photo by Paige Campbell
Designed as a living archive that grows during each exhibition’s run, the platform spans sculpture, painting, craft, jewelry, music, performance, film, culinary culture, automotive design, and sport. Kelly says the site has no prescribed aesthetic or singular agenda; it’s open to whatever makes sense for each project.
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- Side Hustle launches with artist-led experimental work that’s often editioned or crosses between mediums, reflecting Kelly Wearstler’s cross-disciplinary approach. Above: 90210 by Nynke Koster. Photo by Paige Campbell
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- Netherlands-based artist Nynke Koster. Photo by Lorenzo Cisi
“My studio practice has long integrated work from across such a wide range of creative disciplines,” Kelly says. “This exploration led to the birth of Side Hustle, a space for ideas to unfold beyond the logic of client or commission, working to present works that contribute to the ongoing evolution of design as a cultural practice.”
From salvaged textiles to architectural fragments, artists in “Again, Differently” transform materials through processes of repetition and reimagining. Installation image by Austin Calvello
