Lot 17
Nayland Blake
Untitled
2003
graphite on paper
value $1,200-$1,400
12 x 9"
courtesy of the Artist

Nayland Blake is one of a generation of influential American interdisciplinary artists who came of age in the 1980s and whose Conceptually-based work defies categorization, straddling multiple disciplines and embracing a complex set of points of reference. His works often address issues of race and sexuality through playful yet subversive images, often associated with childhood. About his work, Blake says, “Making art is manifesting our individual presence in the world. Shame is the name we give to the way we have been instructed to regard that presence. I think that to the extent that we can become 'shamelss,' we can see each other clearly. Most often shame is used as a dampening and policing device. Even within supposed 'minorities' it is a way of squelching difference. I think of my work as a practice in reveling in my own complexities, differences, and indecisions. I’d hope that I could be an aid to other folks doing the same.”