Nate Larson’s photographic work uses visual and textual narrative to explore the way that we construct meaning in contemporary culture through the lenses of religion, consumer behavior, and secular mythologies. His stories weave tales of ordinary days gone peculiar, obsessive methods of analysis and insignificant objects that suddenly take on extraordinary significance. Miraculous pennies arrive in the mail, healing spells transfer through television programming and fortune cookie numbers win the lotto. Through this darkly humorous storytelling he dissects the line between belief and skepticism, while examining ideas of personal truth and common misperceptions surrounding photographic documents.
Everything or Nothing, 2005 Pigment Print, 32" x 20"
Nate Larson is a Chicago-based artist and photographer. His photographic work has been exhibited extensively across the US and has been featured internationally in shows in Canada, Greece, Belgium, and the UK. His work has been written about in numerous publications, including The New York Times. His photoworks and artist books are included in the collections of the Center for Photography at Woodstock, the Banff Centre in Alberta, the Midwest Photographers Project Collection at the Museum of Contemporary Photography Chicago, and McHenry County College, among others.
Recent solo exhibitions include Gallery 1401, Philadelphia, PA; University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN; The Morris Graves Museum of Art, Eureka, CA; Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT; Duke University, Durham, NC; Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; and Amarillo College, Amarillo, TX.
Recent group exhibitions include Open Space, Victoria, BC; the Light Factory, Charlotte, NC; Dam, Stuhltrager Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL; Helen Pitt Galley, Vancouver, BC; Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX; Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki, Greece; Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography, Toronto, Ontario; Exit Art, New York, NY; Eyewash @ Parker’s Box, Brooklyn, NY; The Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA; and the Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY.
His artwork has received grant support from the Banff Centre, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Larson earned an MFA from Ohio State University and a BA from Purdue University. He holds a tenured teaching appointment at Elgin Community College in Illinois. More information and images are available at www.natelarson.com
