Nate Young Nate Young
(b. Minneapolis, Minnesota 1981)
Lives and works in Chicago, IL
Untitled, 2016, graphite on paper, oak, and walnut
Collection of Dr. Robert B. Feldman
Nate Young is interested in analyzing semiotics, or how meaning is created, through words or images, and the institutions and authorities that uphold them. In essence, the artist is examining systems of belief, how theories are spoken, read, created, and upheld. From his father’s theological, religious teachings to the philosophy of Ferdinand de Saussure, Young explores language through the literal framing of his work in oak, forming a structure capable of containment and revealing, inlaid with symbols forming a diagram of direction. However, Young overtly removes any written word that would support a full understanding of the original meaning of the symbols, leaving a space in the absence of language and within the center of the frame where the viewer might consider what is there and all the ideas that could fill the space. This framing creates a physical and weighted altar like space for reflection on language and image—and perhaps transcendence. The loose graphite rubbing at the center of the altar preserves something of an ethereal experience, a reminder of the spirit of creation, of dialog without language. The material of oak is a reference to a seminal work for the artist, an installation that included a church pew and sound recording of a sermon about art speak, as well as a reference to the pews of Christian churches, wherein a trusted authority delivers meanings.