Robert Nava

Pace is pleased to present an exhibition of works on paper by Robert Nava at its East Hampton space. The works on view in the exhibition, all of which were created in 2021, depict Nava’s quintessentially outlandish creatures. Marking the artist’s second show with Pace since he joined the gallery last year, this presentation runs from August 12 to 29.

Nava’s fascination with drawing, which is now a pillar of his artistic practice, stems from the cartoon and cereal box characters he sketched as a child. Constantly drawing in his sketchbook, the artist is deeply engaged with the quickness and intuitive aspects of making works on paper. Nava uses his drawings to experiment and formulate ideas that often inform his paintings. In an interview with the writer, curator, and artist Paul Laster published in Art & Object earlier this year, Nava said: “Drawing is a huge part of my work. I’m really interested in what line can do. There are so many ways to work it. Sometimes when I’m drawing and don’t know what I want to do, I’ll just start scribbling or making marks and something will come of it. I remember watching my grandmother doodling while speaking on the phone, which may have motivated me to draw.”

Imaginative and eccentric, Nava’s works, which explore notions of reality and fantasy, often feature hybrid beings rendered in vibrant colors. Taking inspiration from prehistoric cave paintings, ancient Egyptian art, Art Brut, contemporary cartoons, and other varied sources, the artist imbues his drawings with movement and energy. Nava’s unconventional, frenetic style and distinct visual lexicon, through which he forges fantastical new worlds on paper, are on full view in Pace’s East Hampton exhibition.