Nathan Eastwood: Work / Recreation / Freedom

Nathan Eastwood, winner of the inaugural East London Painting Prize, presents his solo exhibition Work / Recreation / Freedom at the Nunnery Gallery from 10 October to 21 December.

The East London Painting Prize has been created by The Legacy List, the charity of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with the Goldhill Family, Zabludowicz Collection, and in association with Bow Arts, to honour the life and work of painter and philanthropist Jack Goldhill, and commemorates his major contributions to the east End.

Eastwood was announced as the first winner of the East London Painting Prize in May 2014. Selected from over 300 submissions by artists from across east London, Nathan received a life changing £10,000 prize and the solo exhibition at the Nunnery Gallery.

Nathan Eastwood lives in Newham and has a studio in Bethnal Green. He graduated from Byam Shaw School of Fine Art in 2009, and has gone on to exhibit in a range of shows including the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition (2013), Contemporary British Painting at The Crypt, St Marylebone (2013); and Towards a New Socio-Painting, a Transition Gallery touring show this year.

Drawing inspiration from the Kitchen Sink Painters of the 1950s, Eastwood’s paintings describe small moments in everyday life in meticulous detail, from cleaning the bathroom to mulling thoughts over a cup of tea. Layering humbrol enamel paint on board and a grey palate, Nathan builds up layers of paint to create images which are both photorealistic, yet riddled with imperfections of trapped dust and hair and loose brushwork.

Eastwood said: “Winning the East London Painting Prize has been a huge boost, I’ve been able to invest a much larger proportion of time in painting and producing new works which are larger in scale.

“At certain moments, when making the bed, walking around in public spaces, noticing rubbish scattered around, picking up the kids from school, surfing the internet, and watching question time, I thinks yes, this is real life. Real life in the sense of repetition of the same actions again and again; activities and places visited. This is what I know and so this is what I want to paint. The paintings have become allegorical of the domestic and particular public spaces. The participation via social websites and the accessibility of a variety of political positions permeates this experience of the everyday. Today the living room has become a voting booth.

I am really proud to present my solo show at the Nunnery Gallery, it’s an incredible opportunity."