NATHANIEL RUSSELL

“Some of my favorite art and music comes from so-called amateurs. It just hits me in a way that nothing else can. I think art and music are just too important to leave to so-called experts.”

Nathaniel Russell is an artist, musician, and maker of things lo-fi. His art is known for its visual charm and abstract or imaginary themes, often accompanied by witty text. After earning a degree in printmaking, Russell spent several years in the San Francisco Bay Area making posters, record covers, and woodcuts. He returned to his home city of Indianapolis and now spends his time creating drawings, fake fliers, bad sculptures, wood shapes, and music. Russell’s work is regularly shown around the world in both traditional galleries and informal spaces, usually surrounded by an expanding list of friends, collaborators, and like-minded folk. He frequently returns to his second home of California to work with friends on projects as varied as murals, print workshops, and backyard musical performances. Russell posts his new drawings, photographs, ideas, and observations on life on his blog, Crooked Arm. Like his art, Russell’s Plumb journals reflect his uniquely humorous take on the ineffable and the mundane: “Something I’m concerned with in my artwork is connecting to the unknown mysteries of the universe and being alive. Anything is possible. As humans, acting like we know what’s going on? I think that’s hilarious.”

Plumb Notebooks

• Drawn to Music
• Fake-Jacket Journal
• Waking Waiting Walking

Solo exhibitions

• Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, Indianapolis, IN
• Beach Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
• Ed. Varie, New York, NY
• Mollusk Surf Shop, San Francisco, CA
• Art Park, Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia

Group exhibitions

• The Last Wave, La Friche la Belle de Mai, Marseille, France
• The Luggage Store Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
• Brachfeld Gallery, Paris, France
• Vice Gallery, Mexico City
• Yes, Cincinnati, OH