NICK FAGAN (b. 1992, American)
Nick Fagan earned a B.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University in sculpture and an M.F.A. from Ohio State, also in sculpture. Fagan’s work often utilizes cast off textiles and pre-existing patterns, which he reworks into large scale wall pieces and free standing sculptures.
Fagan initially became fascinated with moving blankets because they show the wear and tear of labor and the history of their use. They are used as ‘an assist,” a thing that protects and holds but is then put away; never the main object or the important object. They are in essence a leftover; only having a utilitarian purpose; forgotten. When in use, the blankets touch every aspect of human use/life. Interacting directly with the family history of the customer. Fagan believes that in the process of using the blankets to wrap objects that the fabric gains a “charge,” similar to Joseph Beuys’ idea of the charged object. There is something magical and encompassing when the moving blankets are transformed by a residue of touch, including stains and rips, that show their history. Household objects and furniture get from here to there, but often we forget there was a person involved. There is sweat and touch mediating between both the physical body of the porter and the blankets. Thinking back to the transubstantiation idea of the body and blood, the mover’s body is intertwined with the blankets through their sweat and labor, transforming a blanket into a spirit of labor. For Fagan, the scale of the work is important so that the viewer feels encompassed, covered like the objects being moved. There is a power when you see the moving blanket transformed into a tapestry. The history of the fabric, a history of protection, becomes spiritual for the artist.
Fagan recently completed residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and The Studios at Mass MoCa. His work has been exhibited by Massey Klein Gallery, The Hole, NYC., and at NADA NY and Future Fair with ADA Gallery.
