One original casein-on-paper drawing and 14 archival giclée prints on Entrada Fine Art Rag paper
Artworks (of varying dimensions) enclosed in "Punch" wooden cigar box
11" x 8.5" x 2.25"
Edition of 13
Since the incorporation of the Esopus Foundation Ltd. in 2003, we have asked contemporary artists to create limited editions that we offer in exchange for donations. Revenue from these artworks allows us to continue our mission of providing an unmediated, accessible forum for artists and the general public.
These limited editions are not for sale, and therefore a portion of their value is tax-deductible, in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. You will receive an email receipt or your records, and your donation will be noted both on our website and in the subsequent issue of Esopus.
Punch, available in an edition of 13, incorporates a wooden cigar box containing one signed casein-on-paper original artwork by Brooklyn-based artist Nat Meade along with 14 giclée prints of other works by the artist printed on hand-trimmed archival rag paper to approximate the look and feel of the originals. These images are accompanied by “Flower Duet,” a personal essay by Ames Varos written especially for the edition (and also signed by the author) in the form of a 16-page foil-stamped chapbook.
Meade's hypnotic, stylized portraits of "manly" archetypes and Varos's profoundly moving essay about a catastrophic accident that irrevocably changed his relationship to his body and his identity offer unique perspectives on masculinity in a moment when the social construction of gender is under examination. As Meade mentioned in a recent interview, “Perceptions and expectations around being a guy are changing. I wonder what a male archetype is at this point. So much of the male image was, at one time, tied to occupation and region; that seems to be fading and now there is this element of self-invention and artifice.”
The edition will launch at Brooklyn’s Picture Room on December 12th. Copies of the edition will be available for purchase (in the form of a $1,000 donation to the Esopus Foundation, $500 of which is tax-deductible). The launch will also feature an exhibition of the edition’s original artworks along with other related works by Meade, who will be in attendance.
Brooklyn-based Nat Meade’s richly rendered portraits of men—simultaneously heroic and ridiculous—explore and dissect masculine tropes in deeply personal ways. in His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally; recent solo shows include those at the Froelick Gallery in Portland, Oregon; the Schneider Museum, Southern Oregon University; and Honey Ramka, Brooklyn. Meade has been awarded residencies in the Sharpe Walentas Studio Program (2016–17) and the James Castle House (Summer 2020) and his work has been reviewed in publications including Artforum, Juxtapoz, Maake, and Hyperallergic. He holds an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, and a B.F.A. from the University of Oregon. Meade attended the Skowhegan School for Painting and Sculpture 2009 and is currently Assistant to the Chair of Fine Arts at Pratt, where he teaches drawing and painting to undergraduate and graduate students.
Ames Varos is finishing a memoir based on his essay for Punch. He lives in California with his wife and son.
