Six sculptures by Turner Prize-nominated contemporary artist Nathan Coley will shine in special places in Sussex beginning April 2, 2022. According to the artist, there has never been an exhibition where so many of his sculptures were in close proximity to each other.

Nathan Coley was born in Glasgow in 1967. He uses his art to explore the way architecture is charged with meaning. His practice is based on an interest in public space and how personal, social, religious and political systems structure the environment as well as people themselves. In many of his artworks, he uses "found writing" to isolate it from its historical reality and return it as a new representation. "I Dont Have Another Land", for example, was graffiti he found on a wall in Jerusalem in the early 2000s. The proclamation in the sculpture in Charleston could be interpreted as a reference to the climate emergency or the current refugee crisis. But perhaps it also encourages visitors to think about Charleston as a sanctuary-a sanctuary for queer artist Duncan Grant and his friends at a time when their identity and lifestyle were being criminalized. The work is meant to have a different meaning for everyone who sees it, which basically means the possibilities are endless.

The sculptures are located on West Beach in Newhaven, looking across the English Channel to France. Another looks down on the town of Lewes from a Norman motte. Others are in a churchyard, a vineyard and a parking lot. On March 31, another work by Nathan Coley will be unveiled in Charleston, the former home of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. The full list of locations is here:

sussexmodern.org.uk/nathancoley.

31 March 2022

Interview Directory 

ART

Name: Nathan Coley

Location: The sculptures can be found here; sussexmodern.org.uk/nathancoley.

"I understand clearly that the phrases don't come to me, I go to them."

When commissioned with this project what inspired you most about the Sussex landscape? Do you have a connection to Sussex?

I had never been to Sussex before the project. It an interesting area to me as it's the end of the British mainland - a part of England that has always been fortified, defended and been conscious and fearful of different people across the channel. 

Can you tell me anything about the individual meanings of the artworks?

I think the meanings of the works comes about in two ways. When introduced to the landscape, the words are read in that particular situation and meaning is inferred. In addition I think the context is changed by the temporary occupation by the sculptures. 

"I am never the author of the texts. They are sourced from the world."

Are you the author of your texts?

I am never the author of the texts. They are sourced from the world.

Did the Corona period have an impact on your work?

For over two years I have not been traveling. This is something I have missed greatly; the chance encounter, the moment of reflection and the comfort of coming home. I understand clearly that the phrases don't come to me, I go to them. 

Are you also currently working on artworks that reflect the current conflict on earth?

I don't think that a sense of change should be seen as either a negative or a positive. I think it should be thought of as 'neutral'.

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"You Imagine What You Desire' - a slogan for our time. 

About Nathan Coley: 

Nathan Coley was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1967. Coley has had solo exhibitions at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in Melbourne, Portsmouth Cathedral, the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, and the Kunstverein Freiburg in Germany. 

His work is in major international collections, including the Tate in London, the Scottish National Galleries in Edinburgh, the Government Art Collection in London, the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, and the Auckland Art Gallery in New Zealand. 

Tentative Words Change Everything by Nathan Coley ©Keith Hunter