Nate Larson

(b.1978; resides Chicago, IL)

Knife / Eye, 2005

Psychic Photography, 2004

Fortune Cookie, 2005

Working simultaneously on several interconnected series, Nate Larson’s inquiry into the acts and devices of coincidence, ritual, religion, pseudo-science, and superstition collectively take the mantle of Conjecture, Curiosities, & Wonders. A new group of paneled sequences (the Charlatans & Tricksters series) and recently introduced color work (tentatively titled Burden of Proof) continue to expand the scope of events and practices under his investigation. From fortune cookie lucky numbers to mysterious healings, he treats episodes from the quaint to the outlandish with narrative flair and a kind of deadpan respect. Not debunking so much as deciphering, Larson involves himself both as the striped tie-wearing everyman in his pictures and by submitting his own personal stories for review.

Larson’s work has been recognized with grants from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Solo exhibitions in 2006 alone include Nate Larson at Constance Gallery, Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa; Stories at Knight Gallery, Morris Graves Museum of Art, Eureka, California; Charlatans & Tricksters at Epping Gallery, McHenry County College, Crystal Lake, Illinois; and Video Work at International Gallery of Contemporary Art, Anchorage, Alaska. Larson has served as Assistant Professor and Photography Area Coordinator at Elgin Community College since 2003.

- Kendra Greene

www.natelarson.com

PAST PORTFOLIO

South America, 2003

Christic Manifestation: Tortilla, 2003

Grandmother’s Dove; Heartshaped Wound, 2002

While driving late one night, Nate Larson heard a story on the AM radio about a man who cut a baked potato in half to discover mirror-image glowing crosses. Based on this story, he began to investigate paranormal events, both religious and secular, and recreate them in his photography studio. His works challenge the nature of objectivity, as well as the idea of belief as a cultural construct and its life-shaping force.

Currently living in Chicago, Larson attended Purdue University (BA, 2000) and Ohio State University (MFA, 2002). He has held several solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions. Most recently, he has displayed his work in the show Vitrines, at Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography in Toronto, Canada.