Nate Young. The Unseen Evidence of Things Substantiated

The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) presents The Unseen Evidence of Things Substantiated, an exhibition of new work by Nate Young (Minneapolis, MN) who, through FWM's Artist-in-Residence Program, continues his exploration of systems and objects that impacts one's beliefs. This exhibition opens Saturday, September 12, 2015 in FWM's second floor gallery. FWM will host a public reception on Friday, October 2 from 6 to 8pm to celebrate its Fall 2015 exhibitions, as well as the debut of a members-only performance of a musical composition by FWM Artist-in-Residence Cynthia Hopkins (Brooklyn, NY) at 5:30pm.

Young's theological concepts, at times rendered through text, diagrams, and architectural elements—such as altars, church pews, and in this exhibition, a pulpit—create unexpected encounters through his use of unique materials. The surface of the eight-foot, fabricated metal pulpit that Young made in collaboration with FWM is designed to create, as Young described, "an effect where the object actually recedes into space, becoming conscious of its own presence." This effect is achieved through the use of a super-black paint developed for the aerospace industry and used by NASA that is distinctive for its high-light absorption and low outgassing properties, thus producing a perceptual illusion within the installation environment and a shifting awareness of the artwork.

In an immersive video installation, the second work in The Unseen Evidence of Things Substantiated, Young strips away as much visual material as possible to reveal the system of language. This new work, produced during the artist's residency at FWM, incorporates a preacher's oration with a magician's sleight of hand by using a 16th century holographic illusion known as Pepper's Ghost. As the artist stated, "Language is the foundation for cognition. Cognitive is an awareness of self."

Nate Young (Minneapolis, MN) received his BA from Northwestern College, Saint Paul, MN in 2004. Young went on to receive his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts and to complete a residency at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2009. Working across media in a manner that challenges traditional modes of artistic production, Young creates works that engage with issues of race and racialization. Some of Young's recent group exhibitions include Go Tell it on the Mountain at the California African American Museum, Los Angeles (2013); Fore at the Studio Museum of Harlem, New York (2012); and Projected Identity at the Anderson Gallery Drake University, Des Moines, IA (2012). Young is also a co-founder of The Bindery Projects, an alternative exhibition space in Saint Paul, MN that seeks to foster critical engagements outside of traditional arts institutions. Young's work is included in the permanent collection of the Walker Art Center, and he is represented by Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago.