NAT MEADE - SCUD, WORKS ON PAPER

The intimate small-sized works included in Meade’s first online solo show with Taymour Grahne Projects exude an almost hypnotic vibe. Vibrant, textured and focusing on light and form, the works reflect the complex feelings that surround the experience of moving through different phases of life. Meade’s work questions societal expectations and constructed perceptions of identity. Meade’s stylised figures become stand-ins for himself in his investigation of the experience of becoming an adult, husband, and parent. His subjects refer to historical archetypes of father figures and mythological gods. However, these statuesque figures, always painted with full beards are portrayed here as exhausted and fallen heroes. Their poses are vulnerable, depicted in moments of relaxation and meditation and often at the mercy of the elements of nature, or lacking a body. The myth of masculinity as widely understood by western art is therefore discontinued, even ridiculed.

Meade's imagery questions the stereotypes of strong emotionless males and looks inward at what is hidden in the soul. Beauty is found in moments of melancholy and uncertainty and is embraced as part of the human nature. It is important to note the experimental and repetitive approach the artist takes in this body of work. Meade’s approach to his work on paper particularly influenced by the self-taught artist James Castle (1899 – 1977). Castle was known to work with found materials and use soot mixed with saliva to create his drawings. Similarly, Meade works with specific materials and techniques that are challenging and yield unexpected results. Also, like Castle, Meade generates many versions of the same motif, working on an image again and again uncovering slight variations from once piece to the next. Some of the featured works were created during Nat Meade’s 10 week residency at the James Castle House (Boise, ID) last summer.