William Nelson Mixed Messages
WILLIAM NELSON Mixed Messages
Exhibition of New Paintings & Sculptures November 15 - December 10, 2018 Opening Reception November 15, 6-8pm Cavalier Gallery 3 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 (212) 570-4696 art@cavaliergalleries.com www.cavaliergalleries.com
Joan, Clark and Lois oil on canvas 60 x 60 inches
Debbie and the Fight oil on canvas 48 x 60 inches
Errol and the Duelist oil on canvas 60 x 72 inches
Johnny and the Black Panther oil on canvas 72 x 60 inches
Lauren, Tin Tin and the Captain oil on canvas 60 x 72 inches
Liz and the Astronaut oil on canvas 60 x 60 inches
Marilyn and the Bad Egg oil on canvas 72 x 60 inches
Mario in Aida oil on canvas 72 x 60 inches
Marlon and the Jungle Cat oil on canvas 72 x 60 inches
Pamela, Frankie, Annette and the Pirates oil on canvas (diptych) 48 x 104 inches (each canvas 48 x 52 inches)
Rock and the Moll oil on canvas 60 x 60 inches
Sophia and the Little Man oil on canvas 72 x 60 inches
Tina and the Silver Surfer oil on canvas 72 x 60 inches
Ursula and the Bully oil on canvas 60 x 60 inches
William and Nancy oil on canvas 60 x 72 inches
Charles Enamel House Paint on Plywood 70 x 48 x 24 inches Interactive Kinetic Sculpture
Marilyn Enamel House Paint on Plywood 68 x 48 x 24 inches Interactive Kinetic Sculpture
WILLIAM NELSON (b. 1961) About the Artwork The intention of this work is to generate conversations about values and identity by assembling unlikely pairs, Hollywood film icons and nostalgic comic book environments. Each entity reveals a partial narrative. The nature of a comic and the personas of the movie stars, presented in the ethos of the Hollywood studio system, act as blank canvases for us to project our personal experience, principles and standards of behavior. There is a connection and a disconnect between these entities beyond technique. They exist within a single frame and are aware of each other’s existence yet there is an element of obliviousness. Something is happening and they can’t seem to take it in. Their dissociation, the separation of the two entities, compels comment. Included in this series are two sculptures, Marilyn and Charles, large freestanding figures that can literally be animated when the viewer rotates the flywheel mounted on the back. A series of spur gears, attached to the figure, are activated resulting in a surprisingly organic motion. The heart of the work is the space around and between the figures, which includes the viewer, who is an active participant in the existence of the piece. Selected Exhibitions RE:FORMATION, Gallery Madison Park, New York, NY, 2018 Artists of the Premier Collection, Gordon Fine Arts Gallery, Stamford, CT, 2017 Baba Yaga Eats, Fields Studio Gallery, New York, NY, 2016 Together Again, Firing Circuits Artists, St. Paul’s on the Green, Norwalk, CT, 2016 Close to the Edge, Katonah Museum Artists Association, Pound Ridge, NY, 2015 Time and Place, The Hammond Museum, North Salem, NY, 2015 Pop Up Show, Christopher Robert Gallery, Stamford, CT, 2014 Sprouting Spaces, Solo Exhibition, Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Stamford, CT, 2013 Faber Birren Art Show, Stamford Art Association, CT, 2012 - Prize Awarded April Fools, The Nest Gallery, Bridgeport, CT, 2012 Condition X, SVA Westside Gallery, New York, NY, 2011 UNABASHED, The Portrait and Figure, Dacia Gallery, New York, NY, 2011 Education School of Visual Arts, New York City, MFA Computer Art, 1993 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, BS Interdisciplinary Studies, 1984
3 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 | (212) 570-4696 art@cavaliergalleries.com | www.cavaliergalleries.com