Pace London is delighted to present Past/Present, an exhibition of new works by Brooklyn-based artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn .

Quinn’s vivid, large-scale paper works are an assemblage of facial features which can be read as abstract-figurative works. The pieces deal with the complex construction of identity, inevitably influenced by past memories and present experiences, but executed in the moment.

“My work arrives somewhere between abstraction and figuration; the cuts and breaks in the image seem to have an independent life within each work. Not simply the happenstance of a meeting place, the gap or break is a type of functional geometry, opening up spaces within and between imagery. My work is the result of a highly instinctual and visceral activity, without the guidance of a plan.” Nathaniel Mary Quinn, July, 2014.

The artist takes great interest in mixing media, subverting the traditional use of black charcoal, oil-paint, paint-stick, gouache, oil pastel and cardboard onto the same surface. Although reminiscent of Synthetic Cubism, Quinn's works function outside of these historical references and reveal themselves as autobiographical, narrative and representational. The ‘hybrid creatures’ that appear in these distinctive compositions are formed from a mixture of family portraits, popular articles, and advertisements.

The artist’s personal history has a tremendous influence on his work. Reflecting on his difficult upbringing and the challenges he faced in his young life¾losing his mother at a very young age and later being abandoned by his father and brothers¾every work is a conscious endeavour to free his mind from excessive introspection. Quinn aims to explore his own human identity and life experiences, which have formed and continue to shape his character.

Highlights of the exhibition include Diane, a small piece that features an assembled portrait presenting both geometry and softness, yet robustly exaggerated by contorted and flattened surface manipulations. A fleshy mouth and a necklace would call to mind an archetypical female character, yet the viewer is left disorientated without clear, immediate gender identification.

The constant fracture between faces and the body correlate to Quinn’s past and present experience; a cathartic and personal practice through which he gives life back to his subjects.

The unique interplay of subject, form and medium that can be seen in Quinn’s work conveys the artist’s own sense of artistic freedom. The work sits in tension on the boundary of what can be seen as purposely grotesque or aesthetically pleasing, presenting both beauty and melancholy.

-Pace Gallery

Image: © Nathaniel Mary Quinn
Courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery