Nathan Anthony

Nathan Anthony is a Lecturer in Studio Art (Sculpture & Extended Media) at The University of Texas at Austin. A UK-born artist based in Austin, Texas, he employs sculpture, print, and moving-image to subvert conventional associations of everyday materials for poetic recontextualization. His educational background includes an MFA in Studio Art from UT Austin (2025) and a joint MA (Hons) in Fine Art & Art History from Edinburgh University (2014).

His artistic practice centers on material intervention, exemplified by works like Arenofiles Series (capturing beach sand with cellotape) and Not Oak Smoked (mimicking salmon packaging with painted wood). He investigates memory, materiality, and institutional critique through conceptual strategies that transform mundane objects into poetic artifacts, often incorporating humor and site-specific engagement.

Anthony's written contributions in Burlington Magazine and Corridor8 critically examine artists like Jimmie Durham and Rodney Graham, focusing on identity, material transformation, and conceptual frameworks within contemporary art. His critical approach directly informs his studio practice, emphasizing recontextualization and subversion of expected narratives.

Notable accolades include:

• Gilbert Bayes Award for Early Career Sculptors (2023)
• Jerwood Drawing Prize (2016-2017)
• John Watson Prize (2014)
• Hope Scott Trust Award (2017)

His educational outreach includes residencies at Christ's Hospital School (2017-2019) and Eltham College (2019-2022), where he developed community-engaged projects like Muscled Memory (2021). Grant support includes the Weir Fund for Field Studies (2013) and MOONENS Foundation residency (2014), enabling experimental material research and international collaboration.

Collaborative projects such as jobcentresuperplus (2013) and institutional partnerships with Gerald Moore Gallery demonstrate his commitment to collective creation and pedagogical integration. Current activities include the 2025 solo exhibition Ortland Leathe in Austin, reflecting ongoing exploration of material poetics.