Nathan Beard is a West Australian-based interdisciplinary artist whose work is primarily engaged with exploring the myriad influences of his Thai-Australian cultural background. Beard graduated from Curtin University with First Class Honours in 2010 and is currently undertaking a JUMP mentorship under Michael Shaowanasai. He is also part of the collaboration The Greater Asia Co-Prosperite Sphere with Abdul Abdullah and Casey Ayres.

This instalment of Perth Artists follows Nathan during the opening of his latest exhibition, ‘Obitus’. In this body of work, the artist travels to Thailand with his mother to visit her abandoned house in Nakhon Nayok and conduct research that continues Beard’s exploration of his Thai-Australian heritage. It explores the universal themes of homecoming, memory, mortality and nostalgia through kitsch visual language (consistent with Beard’s previous shrine-based work), photographic research and found objects relevant to the site of his Thai mother’s abandoned home.

You can find Nathan Beard’s work at http://beardworks.wordpress.com

More episodes of Perth Artists can be found online at www.perthartists.com

The uncut interview will be available on the Perth Artists website soon.