It seems as though all the stars are aligning for Roy Nachum. If the slew of celebrity fans, including Justin Timberlake and Sir Philip Green are any indication, it seems the 33-year old painter’s profile is on the rise, fast. Nachum, who earned his stripes at Cooper Union and Bezalel Academy in Israel, sculpts Braille poetry onto the ground of his photo realistic oil paintings because he believes in making his art accessible to all people. The show is split into four parts, each entirely distinct from each other.
The first part, entitled “Parallel Realities” is a series of paintings “exploring the subtle play of illusion and reality”. Finely rendered animals appear on canvases alongside emotional humans, both figures sharing a sort of emotional bond. The complexities and commonalities that are shared here are the heart of Nachum’s work. Adding an interactive quality is the Braille written over the human and animal figures.
“Color Blind”, a series of circular canvases, is based on the Ishihara Color Vision Test, and feature Braile lining the circumference of the canvas.
The use of Braille in Nachum’s work mark a progression from his earlier style of painting, in which he painted scenes in thousands of “pixels”. A chance encounter with Braille signage years back sparked Nachum to evolve his painting style to consider a larger audience including the blind.
“Invisible Mirrors”, a series of monochromatic paintings in which Braille text “dots” are rendered.
The final part, “Sea of Crowns,” a sea of a thousand gold crowns, symbolizing “a sea of limitless dreams and aspirations”.
There is something for everyone to love at this show, presented by Joseph Nahmad Contemporary at 450 W 14th Street, right under The Highline. This is the second show Nachum has produced for the 21-year old gallerist Joseph Nahmad.
More information at www.roynachum.com
