Through this collection of sculptures and paintings, Nathaniel C. Praska reflects on the pervasive theme of hallucinatory fear that has permeated society since the latter part of the 20th century. He conveys symbols and themes familiar to communities shaped by the ethos of a particular kind of individualism, often bordering on or reaching abandonment.

The sculptures in this exhibition are crafted from discarded materials such as joint compounds, chicken wire, fabric, wood glue, and remnants sourced from construction sites. The paintings are created with hurried scribbles and handmade paint-sticks that he produced from a blend of pigment, walnut oil, alkyd binder, and beeswax.

Praska joins TAC curator, Jennie Castle, for a conversation about Heavenly and Earthly Paradise on TAC Makes: A Podcast, available now on Spotify and YouTube.

Nathaniel C. Praska (b. Portland, Oregon, 1985) works primarily in painting and sculpture. His multi-layered surfaces, which he builds over a span of time, exude with unfiltered immediacy evoking graffiti beneath an interstate bridge. His subject matter: discarded items, gas cans, and abandoned places, morph into enigmatic symbols representing anxiety, absurdity, isolation, and paranoia. Praska positions these subjects alongside monstrous analogies, forging a visual language that encapsulates the mounting recognition of societal despondency and the precariousness of the post-1980s socio-economic paradigm within the United States.

Praska has exhibited his work throughout the United States, including the Rose Center for the Arts Forsberg Gallery at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington; Cerritos College Art Gallery in Norwalk, California; and the Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts in Salt Lake City, Utah. Praska has received grants and residencies from the GLEAN Artist Residency Program (2023), Oregon Arts Commission (2023), Regional Arts and Culture Council (2022, 2023), Rockland Woods (2021), and The Calligram Foundation (2012). Praska lives and works with his wife and their son in Portland, Oregon.