In his first showcase with Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, Nathan Budoff presents new artworks—including three never-before-seen paintings—that align us with the natural world. Read his statement below:
At the heart of my work lies the tension between the possibility of encounter and the threat of disappearance. Even when we are hardly aware of one another, we really are all living together. By bringing together creatures normally threatening or simply without a relationship to one another, my works capture an urge to unify. Birds, bears, trees, and fish mingle in spaces and groupings as if conversing or passing in futility.
Like much of our society, I find it natural to dwell in cynicism and critique, but I believe striving for possibility is important; it is essential for us to create. My newest works feature fauna interacting in closer encounters, such as dancing. They cross from one medium to another, all on one piece of cloth or paper, to capture the interconnected nature of flora, fauna, and space—that unifying urge. At the same time, there is an ominous quality to some of these encounters. On this small planet, we are all unified. And I try to communicate that in my works through careful historical and ecological research. For my large-scale public works, I often incorporate local landmarks and native species into the design.
"Each and every identity is extended through a relationship with the Other,” said Martiniquan writer and theorist Édouard Glissant. This alterity, often only feet away from us, is not limited to anthropological categories of difference, but extends to beings of different species, such as bees, prairie dogs, and elephants, among others. Created on raw or primed canvas or paper using a combination of oil paint, acrylic paint, shellac-based ink, charcoal, and other media, this playful work focuses on hope for a more holistic future. There may be real boundaries to this hope, but my work increasingly focuses on our yearning for communication and collaborative vitality.
