Opening Reception: January 31, 5 to 7 PM
Conversation with the Artist: January 31, 6 PM
We are pleased to welcome Professor Robert Thomas Tierney from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures who will engage in a brief public conversation with the artist.
This photographic exhibit is a result of Holder’s time spend in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. While there, he learned that gay marriage is not legal in Japan nor any other East-Asian country aside from Taiwan. This gave him the idea of researching the subject further and shooting a project on gay relationships. The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has stated multiple times that he has no intention of legalizing gay marriage due to the danger of Japanese families straying from “traditional” values. In addition to family, he also observed other traditionally Japanese mainstays such as flower shops, payphones, trains, cafes, and small gardens. The result is this photographic exhibit featuring two gay couples photographed in occupying traditional spaces as a couple that is deemed untraditional by their government. Read full exhibit statement.
Nathan Holder (b. 2000 Milwaukee, WI) is an image-based conceptual artist who creates work that analyzes a range of relationships; heterosexual, homosexual, personal relationships, impersonal relationships, relations to self, and relations to popular culture. Holder seeks to bring forth raw and intimate details of himself and others, transforming private information and feelings into public imagery. Installation is a key component of his work, with each work created with exhibition in mind. Holder works with digital and analog-process photography, video, digital and physical collaging, sewing, and cyanotyping. He currently lives and works in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Read artist’s statement.
Artists’ Alley is especially pleased to host this show by Nathan Holder. Holder is a former resident of Presby Hall and recipient of the McKinley Foundation Freshman Scholarship during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Artists’ Alley is located at the McKinley Foundation at 410 E. Daniel St. in Champaign.