William Nelson: Mixed Messages [New York, New York]

About the Artwork
The intention of this work is to generate conversations about values and identity by assembling unlikely pairs, Hollywood film icons and nostalgic comic book environments. Each entity reveals a partial narrative. The nature of a comic and the personas of the movie stars, presented in the ethos of the Hollywood studio system, act as blank canvases for us to project our personal experience, principles and standards of behavior. There is a connection and a disconnect between these entities beyond technique. They exist within a single frame and are aware of each other’s existence yet there is an element of obliviousness. Something is happening and they can’t seem to take it in. Their dissociation, the separation of the two entities, compels comment.

Included in this series are two sculptures, Marilyn and Charles, large freestanding figures that can literally be animated when the viewer rotates the flywheel mounted on the back. A series of spur gears, attached to the figure, are activated resulting in a surprisingly organic motion. The heart of the work is the space around and between the figures, which includes the viewer, who is an active participant in the existence of the piece.