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Nathan Murray is a widely known, strictly ceramics artist whose work is made this a goal of social and racial change. Nathan Murray brings to light the effects of inequality in all forms; race, gender, class, etc.. by showing how it can affect an individual. He writes “I use figurative ceramic sculpture to represent the many complexities of people and their experiences...With it, I use gesture, expression, surface design and visual metaphor to create life-like dynamic representations of people and ideas. Subsequently, I present the individual sculptures as a bridge to one person’s experience. Together, my work serves as a microcosm to engage with larger societal issues.” His artwork engages the eyes of many to see injustice on all fronts in a non-confrontational way, and forms an open dialogue on issues in society. Murray says “Disagreement is ok. If you offend me, I’ll tell you, but open dialog is critical. Ultimately we are all family in this together.”
Nathan Murray grew up in “a racially diverse family” from which began to notice the differences in how different individuals are treated in his community and at a global level. Seeing these differences and experiencing them himself as a black man, he wanted to create change through an artform. After high school he attended college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2009. He soon accepted a graduate teaching assistantship to go to the University of Florida and continued to study studio arts, more specifically, ceramics and 3D art. After graduating in 2015, he returned to Lincoln, Nebraska and has since began making art of his own to teach others about social and racial justice. Since college, he has been featured in many magazines, and is now widely recognized as an accomplished ceramics artist and activist.
Nathan Murray’s art is not formal or what someone could consider “proper” art. Although his art is realistic, it does not follow the norms of what ceramic art was once considered, similar to a lot of modern or 21st century art. After examining a number of Murray’s pieces, it seems likely that to create his pieces, likely by starting with a large piece of clay, as most (if not all) of his pieces are life size, then he begins to form the face through carving the clay, and adding more. Each one of his pieces, has a coating of what is likley terra sigillata. This substance gives each face a smooth, matt, almost skin-like look that almost looks like something from a clay stop motion movie like The Isle of Dogs or The Boxtrolls.
I was originally drawn to Nathan Murray’s through the faces that he creates, they draw you in and I assume that was his goal. Each face has its own individual story, and that was the artist's intention; to share stories and create a dialogue about them through art. Not only do his faces tell a story, but are also extremely technical and created with care and intention. I also loved how Nathan Murray’s story is part of his art and is used as a tool for change within his community.
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