Nathan Lewis opening at UNH thursday night

University of New Haven Seton Gallery
300 Boston Post Rd., West Haven, (203) 481-4270
Where Heaven Made Fun: A Selection of Works by Nathan Lewis
Sept. 4—26, 2008
Opening reception: Thurs., Sept. 4, 4:30—7 p.m.

Press release

A reception will mark the opening of Where Heaven Made Fun, a thought-provoking exhibition featuring the work of Nathan Lewis. This is Lewis's first solo exhibition since his New York show in Feb., 2008. Four new works have been completed for this show, including a monumental installation, which incorporates a 16-foot boat. The installation is a response to his epic painting "Till We Find the Blessed Isles Where Our Friends Are Dwelling," a contemporary remix of Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware." The work depicts the American flag flying upside down, forcefully speaking to the problematic role of the U.S. in the Middle East and to a sense of hope for the lives of the Americans depicted. (I wrote back in February about "Till We Find the Blessed Isles" and some of Lewis' other paintings in a review of the show Uneasy Prospects at the John Slade Ely House.) Other themes present in Lewis's work are the manipulation of religion in war, the changing cultural roles of the African-American and the Arab, man's relationship with nature, and the human quest for transcendence. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.

Nathan Lewis is a New Haven-based painter and installation artist interested in the epic and monumental. He has lived and studied in Russia, Italy, and on both coasts of the United States. He received his MFA from Tufts University and the School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He has exhibited at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, the Mills Gallery in Boston, and Jack the Pelican Presents in New York. His work has been reviewed in the Boston Globe, the New York Press, and The New York Times. He is currently an assistant professor of art at Sacred Heart University.