On The Lower East Side, Launch F18’s current exhibition displays a wide collection of new works by the New York based artist, Nathan Dilworth. Dilworth has exhibited with Launch F18 two times prior to his current show, but this will be the first time in which his pieces will be presented at the new location on 94 Allen Street. Each time, his art re-conceptualizes the gallery space with pieces that show the impact of facture in a gallery setting.
Walking into the space, the audience is introduced to non-objective, mixed media pieces placed on the wall and the floor, set on cinderblocks and installed for the onlooker to interpret. Rather than having a concrete, structured environment in which his works are placed equidistant to one another and highly organized, his creations are placed sporadically; although, there’s still a great sense of arrangement due to the way they perfectly fit into the atmosphere. The mixed media Dilworth chooses elicits excitement, as hues and contrasting patterns meld uniformly with one another, yet provide room for thoughts to wander.
When asking the director of the gallery about the direction of the show, he explained how the artist started with designating a spot for many of his pieces, and then creating the work onsite. This not only creates an element of improvisation and limitation, but this type of process sets a tone of gamble and risk, for if he were to make a mistake, it would alter the uniformity of his macro form. His pieces seem appropriately settled in the area in which they have been situated, appearing effortless yet profound.
Although Dilworth uses a range of materials from fabrics and canvas to prints on vinyl, his works are still unified with his precise handling of media, the geometric qualities utilized and his neutral, yet vibrant color palette. On the bottom level of Launch F18, Dilworth’s gargantuan vinyl prints with careful cut-outs consume the walls and evoke curiosity in the viewer—asking the question of whether the forms and respective cut-outs are an illusion or reality.
Nathan Dilworth: New Work at Launch F18
October 16 – November 22, 2015
Allen Street New York, NY 10002
Writing by Ilsoon Jeon
Photographs by Jamie Martinez
