October 3, 2020
Nathaniel Oliver, Power Snapping, 2019, Oil on Wood Panel, 5’x5′
Fantasy and black magic. Lucid states. Consciousness. Escape. Mirage. Nathaniel Oliver’s new solo show “Limbo” at HOUSING features nine works made between 2019–2020 on wood panel, canvas, canvas board plus charcoal drawings on paper. The oil paintings are bright, saturated, rich and vary in size.
Oliver has created works that probe the subconscious, reality, and dreams, but it all belongs in the physical world. My favorite piece, I saw her on Van Buren, is a street portrait of an older woman sitting on her front steps wearing a #BLM t shirt and a pair of New Balance sneakers. The raw realism of the painting is focused and smooth. This year has been an anxiety inducing one. As a Black person, I am emotionally drained. I am tired of having to look online at blatant racism. I am angry at the continued increased police killings of unarmed black people. I shouldn’t have to numb myself to live my life. She sits there watching the world. Time is wasted. I cry. Try hard in life. What is real anymore? Say their names. George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery.
Currently we are all sitting at home in limbo. These new works allow us to stop, turn away from social media and the news and take a break.
