“Spectatorship”
Concept | As a closeted gay teenager growing up in a family that participated in sports and valued stereotypical masculine behavior as exemplified in sports, I questioned my own masculinity. My gay self struggled to identify with a gay community vilified by those who participated in sports and had served as my ‘masculine’ role models. My work addresses the issues of identity formation, homoeroticism, violence, and perception of the body explored through the subject of sports. My art practice is greatly informed by my previous work experience in the fashion industry as a designer. I work with materials used in fashion such as fabric, latex and garment trims and combine them with materials more associated with sports such as concrete and metal. Found objects such as sports balls and athletic wear are deconstructed and reconstructed to create forms that provide the visual references for the sports theme. Conceptually I find areas of overlap between fashion and sports such as the dichotomy of masculine versus feminine, voyeurism and the notion of idealized bodies and the transformations made to acquire those bodies. Through sculptural objects I seek to convey these concepts allowing form and the materials used to create those forms to elicit emotional reactions that inhabit these concepts. The objects seek to convey a grotesque but seductive quality that simultaneously speaks to the violence and eroticism, specifically homoeroticism, that function in the arena of sports. Spectators and athletes alike bear witness to the tension inherit in sports, acting as willing or unwilling participants. My work seeks to question long held stereotypes about masculinity in sport to activate conversations that can broaden the perception of what constitutes masculinity and the ways men can inhabit social spaces.
Bio | Prior to attending the Fashion, Body and Garment graduate program at SAIC, Nelson had worked in the fashion industry for seven years for companies such BCBG Max Azria, Max Azria Runway Collection, Velvet by Graham and Spencer, Laundry for Shelli Segal, Tom Van Lingen and Sharon Wauchob. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from the Academy of Art University where he has also taught fashion design classes. In addition to his work and educational experience within the fashion industry, Nelson also possess a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University, a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Quantitative Analysis from New York University’s Stern School of Business and participated in a one year exchange program at Studio Bercot in Paris, sponsored by the Academy of Art University. He has broad work experience having worked within both the fields of social work and fashion retail.