Trundled to downtown Berkeley, Calif., to the art show featuring library employees that closed in early November. What a treat to see Nick Mastick’s collages amid the stacks and computer carrels! In this brightly lit atmosphere, Mastick’s dark yet welcoming pieces shimmered as if from out of time, from the time of the unconscious and its newly mapped geographies. I had seen some of the images online, but in person they resonated with much more depth and presence.
“Anatomy and the Spider’s Web” conveys a vivid vitality and a sense of cosmological connection, with its images of anatomical cutaways, spermatozoa, outer space, spiderwebs, and masks. The smaller “Follow Your Gleam” shows a small shelf of books, knicknacks, dolls, sculpture, and a lurking cat, managing to communicate a sense of booklove with a surrealist inflection, conjuring both homeyness and modernist mystery.
Mastick has been making collages for more than 20 years, and he’s due for a show in a real gallery. Looking for an album cover? Think about commissioning one from Mastick or using one of his pieces. Contact me if you’d like to reach him.
© 2009 Lisa Bernstein
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“Anatomy and the Spider’s Web” conveys a vivid vitality and a sense of cosmological connection, with its images of anatomical cutaways, spermatozoa, outer space, spiderwebs, and masks. The smaller “Follow Your Gleam” shows a small shelf of books, knicknacks, dolls, sculpture, and a lurking cat, managing to communicate a sense of booklove with a surrealist inflection, conjuring both homeyness and modernist mystery.
Mastick has been making collages for more than 20 years, and he’s due for a show in a real gallery. Looking for an album cover? Think about commissioning one from Mastick or using one of his pieces. Contact me if you’d like to reach him.
© 2009 Lisa Bernstein
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Thanks for adding your voice!