Nick Gentry is a British artist from London, working with contributed artefacts and materials sourced directly from members of the public. This open working practice is a fundamental starting point of each new work.
The rigorous conceptual basis of this work explores the areas where reality meets illusion, while drawing on references from consumer waste, to pop culture and found art. Drawing on recycled and obsolete technological materials as the grounds for his paintings, he creates a conversation between digital and analog processes.
Known for his portraits and installations that treat the human form not as a subject in itself, but rather as the vehicle to carry the medium. In his art, Gentry questions the relationship of the human being to both our created world and what we call reality.
Gentry constructs his painting supports out of materials such as 35mm film negatives, VHS cassettes, X-ray prints, and floppy discs. “These objects are no longer in the spotlight,” the artist has said of floppy discs, “but by placing them there for a second it becomes easier to comprehend the speed and extent of the changes that are taking place today.”
Gentry often incorporates elements of these materials into his figures. The magnetic circles of floppy discs, for example, often serve as women’s eyes in his portraits.
Images courtesy of Nick Gentry
Discover: www.nickgentry.com
