nathaniel galka

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“My career as an artist started at Columbus College of Art and Design (located in Columbus, Ohio) in 1994. There, I received my BFA in Painting with a strong focus in conceptual studies. After graduating, I pursued my advanced education at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois - receiving my MFA in the year of 2001. I stayed in Chicago until 2005, where I was part of a young and thriving group of new up-and-coming artists; participating in many alternative showings and several traditional gallery shows. I have since traveled back and forth, living in Los Angeles, Asheville and Knoxville. In all these travels, the one thing I have continued to do is paint, draw and create. I tell a story.”

On the surface, Galka’s work is whimsical and fun: full of bright colors, glitter and marvelously painted animals. However, upon further examination, there is a darkness to them. The flowers are mutated, the grass is artificial and the skies are dark and polluted. These beautiful environments transform themselves into representations of a world destroyed by pollution. Through his painting, Galka draws attention to the present-day need to create a beautiful environment from the destruction caused by human contamination.