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East London Painting Prize 2014
Friday 10th October 2014 – Sunday 21st December 2014 , 10:00am to 5:00pm
Nathan Eastwood, winner of the inaugural East London Painting Prize, presents his solo exhibition Work / Recreation / Freedom at the Nunnery Gallery from 10 October to 21 December. One winner was chosen from the shortlist of 43 artists across east London to receive a life changing £10,000 prize and a prominent solo show.
The East London Painting Prize has been created by The Legacy List, the charity of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with the Goldhill Family, Zabludowicz Collection, and in association with Bow Arts, to honour the life and work of painter and philanthropist Jack Goldhill, and commemorates his major contributions to the east End.
Nathan Eastwood lives in Newham and has a studio in Bethnal Green. He graduated from Byam Shaw School of Fine Art in 2009, and has gone on to exhibit in a range of shows including the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition (2013), Contemporary British Painting at The Crypt, St Marylebone (2013); and Towards a New Socio-Painting, a Transition Gallery touring show this year.
Drawing inspiration from the Kitchen Sink Painters of the 1950s, Eastwood’s paintings describe small moments in everyday life in meticulous detail, from cleaning the bathroom to mulling thoughts over a cup of tea. Layering humbrol enamel paint on board and a grey palate, Nathan builds up layers of paint to create images which are both photorealistic, yet riddled with imperfections of trapped dust and hair and loose brushwork.
Eastwood said: “Winning the East London Painting Prize has been a huge boost, I’ve been able to invest a much larger proportion of time in painting and producing new works which are larger in scale.
“At certain moments, when making the bed, walking around in public spaces, noticing rubbish scattered around, picking up the kids from school, surfing the internet, and watching question time, I thinks yes, this is real life. Real life in the sense of repetition of the same actions again and again; activities and places visited. This is what I know and so this is what I want to paint. The paintings have become allegorical of the domestic and particular public spaces. The participation via social websites and the accessibility of a variety of political positions permeates this experience of the everyday. Today the living room has become a voting booth.
“I am really proud to present my solo show at the Nunnery Gallery, it’s an incredible opportunity.”
Claire Gevaux, Head of Creative Programmes of The Legacy List said: “Nathan’s work evokes the character and life of east London, and we’re delighted to have been able to support this next stage in his career through the East London Painting Prize. We wish him every success for the exhibition, and his future career.”
Rosamond Murdoch, Director of the Nunnery Gallery said: “Our upcoming exhibition of Nathan’s paintings Work / Recreation / Freedom refers to his observations about the relationship to work and how we simulate rituals within the space of spare time. Nathan’s work isn’t necessarily looking at the conventional workplace, but domestic and sometimes leisure spaces. To me this speaks of a typically urban concern which rounds off the Nunnery Gallery’s Year of the East London Painting with alacrity.”
Michael Goldhill, representative of the Goldhill Family said:
“The selection of Nathan Eastwood as winner of the first East London Painting Prize is testament to the Goldhill Family’s desire to support artists at all stages of their careers. My father would have been a proud advocate of the panel’s choice, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of his work in the forthcoming show.”
