Nate Lowman was born in Las Vegas in 1979. Having lived and worked in New York since obtaining a BS from NYU in 2001, he works primarily in painting, sculpture and multimedia installation, using objects and images taken from global media and American cultural sources and reconfiguring postmodern techniques of collage, appropriation, and assemblage.
In addition to having exhibited widely throughout the US and internationally, Nate Lowman has also curated several exhibitions, including Beneath The Underdog, a group exhibition at Gagosian Gallery, New York (2007) andAl-Quaeda is the CIA, a Sue Williams survey at 303 Gallery, New York (2010).
Nate Lowman was with us during the Istanbul International Arts & Culture festival and participated in a panel with Robin Rhode moderated by Ali Akay.
Here are his As to our Qs!
When are you happiest?
In Venice they say ‘Sbarro’.
What motivates you?
Restlessness, love, discomfort, anxiety, clarity and scotch.
Which city or cities are centers of creativity and inspiration for you?
I think cities have become donuts and exist with only the ghost of a center. Inspiration can still be found in those holes.
For you, what does Istanbul stand for?
Istanbul stands on the cusp.
What do you think about the city (cities) you live in ?
New York isn’t any longer the city I moved to as a teenager but it still has a great frenetic energy flourishing regardless of the corporate psychosis and real estate conjecture.
Which era would you have preferred to live in?
I just got the haircut I always wanted as a kid in the early ’90s so I’m happy.
What’s your current source of inspiration?
Quiet moments, mostly horizontal.
Your most memorable journey?
Having my best friend slick my hair back before taking a taxi to meet a girl I knew I was going to fall in love with.
Your favorite place to visit to get ideas ?
Secret.
Your most cherished possession?
My mother’s maiden name: Soule.
How would you describe your world in 3 words?
Free beer tomorrow.
Key moment in your life?
I lost my virginity in a black and white photo lab listening to Patti Smith. The floor was concrete and the chemicals smelled so good.
Favorite recent discovery?
Kyle Hall (Wild Oats).
Favorite artist of all times?
Sigmar Polke and/or Bruce Nauman.
How will you be remembered?
Not likely.
What can’t you live without?
Good company.
Whats on repeat on your iPod?
Since 1996: The Bells by Jeff Mills; more recently Rad Times Xpress (RTX) ASAP Rocky and Gang Gang Dance
Names of people whom you think revolutionized the art world?
Larry Gagosian, Amanda Sharp, Tobias Meyer, Damien Hirst
What is the trait you most deplore about yourself?
I’m rich, bitch!
What’s your motto?
2 days at a time.
If your creative works had an odor, what do you think they would smell like?
PCP or %80 dark chocolate.
How do you work when you produce – what comes first the thought or the action?
First I fry the chicken and then I eat the egg.
Do you think that you would be able to teach what you do?
I could probably preach what I do but that would be boring.
What is your favorite shop?
Fabulous Fannie’s in the east village NYC.
What would you title your autobiography?
Srsly?!
What would we find in your refrigerator right now?
Greek Yogurt and Ribolla by Gravner.
Is there a creative activity that you want to pursue that you have been postponing? What is it?
Procreation.
If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?
Joan of Arc or Your mother.