96"x145"x2" | Pigment on Galvanized Steel
Nathan Slate Joseph explores the painterly possibilities of steel in a body of work that fuses visceral sculpture with a nuanced palette of inorganic pigments. Inspired by fellow New York-based artists Carl Andre, Frank Stella, and John Chamberlain, Joseph began to experiment with cast-off metal in the 1970s. His best-known works consist of squares of galvanized steel—cut from industrial scraps—which he coats in vibrant, saturated hues and then treats in acid. Whether patched together in painting-like compositions or soldered into bulbous three-dimensional forms, Joseph’s works are intended to change over time, with exposure to the elements patinating the metal and creating morphing patterns and shifts in color. For the artist, this signals an attempt to empower nature and bring it into dialogue with industrial processes—a strand of thinking that has linked him with Actual Art, a loose grouping of artists who aimed to “collaborate” with nature in their art-making.
