Nathan Eugene Carson

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Nathan Eugene Carson, “Sassy Sue,” 2022

mixed media on paper, 24” x 18” (photo by Philip Kanwischer, courtesy Norberg Hall, Calgary)

Strangely beautiful and deeply poetic portraits by Hamilton, Ont., artist Nathan Eugene Carson achingly expose the complexities of the human condition. Carson’s vibrant mixed-media works are intuitively constructed and wonderfully abstract, challenging our gaze while demonstrating how we ‘other’ people who look different.

His exhibition, Long Lost Friends, on view at Norberg Hall in Calgary until Oct. 7, plays on the human fascination with appearance and our ability to see faces in everyday objects. This psychological phenomenon even has a name: pareidolia.  The brain’s talent for finding significance in random patterns, such as spotting eyes and a mouth in the knots of gnarled wood or the Virgin Mary blessing a piece of toast is, indeed, remarkable. Carson’s work functions in a similar fashion, but he takes things a step further by imbuing his portraits with personalities and emotional states to encourage felt connections. 

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Nathan Eugene Carson, “Long Lost Friends,” 2022, installation view at Norberg Hall, Calgary (courtesy Norberg Hall)

Made from inexpensive materials such as dollar-store paint and found paper, the 13 works in Long Lost Friends are similarly sized and housed in identical black wooden frames. It makes for a striking presentation. And unlike traditional portraiture, intentionally created for viewers to gaze upon, these characters engage, confront and endear.

Carson was raised in a supportive family where he was taught that human bodies are vessels that can present in different ways ­– but what counts the most is what’s inside. While focusing on the inner being, Carson, who had a 2020 solo show at Toronto’s Power Plant, also grapples with race and identity. He graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from what is now OCAD University in Toronto, and is now spending a year as artist in residence at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, working on a project titled Black Carnival Audience. 

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Nathan Eugene Carson, “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not,” 2022

mixed media on paper, 24” x 18” (photo by Philip Kanwischer, courtesy Norberg Hall, Calgary)

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Nathan Eugene Carson, “Devil’s in the Detail – I Like Details,” 2022

mixed media on paper, 24” x 18” (photo by Philip Kanwischer, courtesy Norberg Hall, Calgary)

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Carson's faces emerge from coloured grounds as though they are long lost friends in need of human engagement and recognition. Tactile surfaces reveal a raw process that incorporates scraping, pouring, drawing, cutting and collage. The faces are imperfect yet surprisingly soulful. They embrace the vulnerability of being human without glamour or glory. 

In Hot Mess, the figure is smothered in thick yellow paint that seems to melt and drip. Set against a mint background, this gooey character seems caught in an emotional quagmire – an uncomfortable state we can all recognize. While there are no eyes or mouth, the image is easily recognizable as human.  

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Nathan Eugene Carson, “Hot Mess,” 2022

mixed media on paper, 24” x 18” (photo by Philip Kanwischer, courtesy Norberg Hall, Calgary)

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Nathan Eugene Carson, “Purple Lips Susan,” 2022

mixed media on paper, 24” x 18” (photo by Philip Kanwischer, courtesy Norberg Hall, Calgary)

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A disfigured face stares out forlornly in He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.  Below, is a shirt marked with several daisies. The longing and desire are palpable. The red-hot visage in Devil’s in the Detail – I Like Details, mocks us with an obvious smirk and confrontational stare.

The collective gaze of these portraits is powerful. Carson doesn’t shy away from awkward moments or difficult personality traits. He also uses humour that is reflected in titles like Sassy Sue, Purple Lips Susan and Super Kid. These characters, while fictional, are wonderfully flawed and uncomfortably human. They ask us to engage rather than gaze. ■

Nathan Eugene Carson, Lost Long Friends, at Norberg Hall in Calgary from Sept. 8 to Oct. 7, 2022.

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