Nathan Heuer

Gallery Affiliations: Packer Schopf Gallery, Pierogi

Region: Midwest

I probably enjoy the sight of crumbling concrete and twisted rebar as much as I enjoy cheeseburgers – and that, between you and me, is saying something. An obsession with the minutiae of history is always in the back of my mind on frequent trips to demolished buildings, industrial wastelands, and out of the way piles of rubble. I keep a collection of concrete fragments (poser archaeologist), and am fascinated by the peculiar concept of the museum. All of the above factors, though, are part of what I think is an artistic process.

These drawings of crumbling structures are a meditation or reflection on the impermanence of individual societies. My objective is to treat these examples of contemporary ruins as part of the greater narrative of history by removing them from their typical surroundings and displaying them as an isolated object or artifact. Another no less important objective is to demonstrate how many of our contemporary “ruins” parallel the ruins of past societies and in this series of drawings there is a particular investigation of this phenomena in relation to Roman architecture. The system of perspective allows me to “construct” these drawings from imagination, facilitating a commitment to and understanding of the structures that would not be possible if I were working from photographic references. In a process so involved with the depicted object or structure I am forced to wonder what the true longevity of our contemporary “ruins” will be.