Mathew Nagendran
BIO
Mathew Nagendran (b.1991) is a visual artist originally from Toronto, ON. He received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the University of Toronto in 2014, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Queen’s University in 2016. Now focusing fully on his artistic pursuits, he maintains a studio practice in Katarokwi/Kingston. Notably, Mathew’s work has been featured in Free Lit Magazine, and he has exhibited with Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre, Art Noise Gallery, Window Art Gallery Kingston, and The Union Gallery.
Statement
As a contemporary figurative artist, my work centers on the complexity of human expression, through both physical manifestations, as well as emotive states, situated within present-day temporal settings. By emphasizing tensions, for example, between beauty and pain, warmth and loneliness, futurity and nostalgia, I hope to highlight the challenges and triumphs of being human.
I decided to focus this series with white pigments on the more-than-human world—entering into the spaces and places that we often pass by in our daily lives. Centering these works on my dog, Hakoda, allowed me to explore his natural habitat: Northern Ontario in the depths of winter chill. The installation’s focus on white and white-adjacent pigments allowed me to explore subtle value transitions through paint, and the restricted palette helped to convey the sense of tension and harmony between the cold winters of the North and Hakoda’s striking versatility, being well suited to the icy climate.
