Deconstruction, Interaction, and the Space Between: Q+A with Nathan Ingram | NOWHERE TO HIDE
Ōtautahi-based mixed media artist Nathan Ingram's latest exhibition, NOWHERE TO HIDE, runs from October 17 to November 1 2024. Known for his exploration of the delicate balance between chaos and order, spontaneity and precision, Ingram’s latest body of work pushes these themes even further, inviting his audience into a more interactive experience.
NOWHERE TO HIDE is a continuation of Nathan’s practice of deconstructing his visual language, where he systematically breaks down and rearranges familiar motifs. But in this collection, the audience is encouraged to actively engage with the pieces.
This idea of play extends beyond just aesthetics—it's a philosophical invitation to explore how things connect, break apart, and find new life through interaction. For Ingram, the process of dismantling his own work allows him to make space for fresh connections, both within the pieces, and between the audience and the art.
In anticipation of the exhibition, we spoke with Nathan to dig deeper into his artistic journey, process, and philosophy. Here’s what he had to say:
Can you walk us through the concept behind Nowhere to Hide? What themes or experiences shaped this collection, and does it continue your previous work or mark a new direction?
I see my work as a continuous process, with each piece informing the next. What may appear as a simple image is actually quite complex. To achieve balance, the colours, textures, and proportions must be well-considered. Minimalism demands flawless execution—there’s really nowhere to hide.
In this new body of work, I’ve taken a more diverse approach, deconstructing my established visual language. This has allowed me to loosen up from previous works, as familiar elements and motifs are dismantled and rearranged. Through this process, new connections form, pushing the work in a fresh direction.
This concept also introduces a playful element, encouraging the audience to engage and reconfigure compositions, contributing to the creative process. For instance, my large modular canvas, Sum of Parts, consists of 18 individual canvases that can be rearranged into various compositions, either kept as a group or broken into smaller units. It’s a reflection on connection, where everything coexists within a collage.
Similarly, my wall-mounted sculpture series, Reconfigurations, features 12 individually coloured pieces that can rotate and be mounted in three orientations, allowing for a range of grid or randomised compositions.
RECONFIGURATIONS
Aerosol, acrylic on aluminum
How do experimentation and repetition play a role in your creative process?
My studio is full of unused experiments that haven’t yet made it into the world. However, there’s often a small element that stands out and inspires me. For instance, when working on my layered glass pieces, I always create test swatches on smaller glass tiles. These studies help me explore colour relationships before committing to the final artwork. Over the years, I’ve built a library of these test tiles, carefully noting the colour combinations so I can easily reference them.
I believe it’s essential for artists to have the freedom to experiment with new ideas, materials, and production methods. I often test a concept, technique, or medium, and then refine the result through repetition. Recurring motifs and themes within my work allow me to explore new materials and innovative production techniques while maintaining a consistent and recognisable visual language.
How do your ceramic works connect to your established aesthetic? Have there been any surprises or challenges in working with this new medium?
I see the ceramic works as an extension of my paintings. When creating these pieces, my intention was to stay true to the themes of embracing chance while balancing it with order. To achieve this, I focused on incorporating chance into the surface textures, working the clay to mirror the gestural movements seen in my paintings. As a result, these pieces feature rippled textures that cast dramatic shadows across the surface. Other works take on a more calculated form, where I emphasised proportion and structure, exploring a simpler, more reductive approach.
CERAMIC VESSEL
Hand-built white stoneware with hand poured white glaze
Throughout this collection, you’ll notice a sense of connectivity through contrasting glossy and matte textures, reminiscent of the layered contrasts in my glass paintings created through various glaze applications. Some surfaces are super glossy, while others are rough, foamy, and porous like concrete, echoing the textures in my deconstructed collage paintings. Like the other works in this collection, each ceramic piece has a counterpart, reinforcing the sense of connection within the overall body of work.
How do you navigate the expectations tied to your signature style? Do you ever feel confined by it, or do you use it as a tool?
Finding my visual language has been key to developing an easily recognisable style. I’ve realised that working with less visual information actually gives me more possibilities—this is the paradox of minimalism. For example, a simple scribble can open up countless opportunities to explore foundational elements like line, shape, colour, texture, light, and shadow. The outcomes become limitless when we combine these elements with principles such as repetition, contrast, balance, dominance, and scale. Then, by experimenting with different materials and mediums, I can use my visual language as a tool to discover new results while maintaining a clear direction within defined boundaries.
Creating this new body of work has given me the space to apply my signature themes, explore new materials, and move in exciting new directions. I’m thrilled by the range within this collection. Even though the work is diverse and uses a variety of materials, staying true to a clear set of themes helps keep everything connected, maintaining my artistic identity.
Your work often deals with the tension between control and spontaneity. How does this shape your approach to art and life?
As I worked through this body of work, the balance naturally shifted between familiarity and exploration. I started with the painted glass pieces, but as I deconstructed and fragmented my process, chance began to play a larger role in resolving the works.
In Dismantle, I aimed for a controlled, yet unexpected result. I created a single sweeping gesture with a large brush made from 10 paintbrushes, leaving the piece to dry overnight. It rained, which I initially thought ruined it, but the spontaneous result became the very surprise I was seeking. I added vibrant orange lines and cut the piece into a grid of 49 tiles, sorting them into categories, shuffling, and arranging them by chance. The unexpected connections formed at the tile intersections were only possible through this process of chance, rather than precise planning.
DISMANTLE
Acrylic, stain, rain water, aerosol, collage on board
Inspired by this, I created New Connections, shifting focus to the relationships between fragmented tiles. I painted sheets in various colours, gridded, sliced, and shuffled them, placing each square at random intersections. Again, the colours were chosen entirely by chance, highlighting the connections between the pieces.
Throughout the works, I’ve intentionally balanced spontaneity, chance, and experimentation with precision and order. This duality is central to each piece in the collection.
NOWHERE TO HIDE | October 17 - November 1 2024
As Nathan continues to push the boundaries of his practice, NOWHERE TO HIDE serves as a testament to his evolving philosophy: embracing precision, spontaneity, and above all, the tension between the two that drives his creativity.