Nathan Coley

Nathan Coley (born 1967 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a contemporary British artist who was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2007. He studied Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art between 1985 and 1989 and currently works in Glasgow. Coley's work is predominantly concerned with the way in which architecture reflects and conditions the social environment.

In 2004, Coley exhibited at The Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh. In 'Nathan Coley,' the artist constructed a series of scaled down, cardboard replicas of all of the religious buildings in Edinburgh. In Lamp of Sacrifice, 286 miniature sites of worship are placed in direct confrontation with one another, exploring how religious buildings are characterised by competing social ideologies.

In 2007, Coley was nominated for the Turner Prize for his exhibition at Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute, the public installation Camouflage Church, Santiago de Compostela, Spain and his contribution to the group exhibition 'Breaking Step – Displacement, Compassion and Humour in Recent British Art' at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade, Serbia.

For his exhibition at Mount Stuart in 2006, Coley displayed an illuminated text, There Will Be No Miracles Here, within the house's 18th century landscaped garden. Investigating the relationship between the rational and the spiritual, Coley's sculpture went on to be exhibited at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art between 2007 and 2009.

In 2010–2011, The Ballast Project was built for the Government Buildings Agency as a commission for the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum) in Amsterdam. This installation groups together a collection of bricks which were originally used as ballast for ships departing from the Netherlands for the West India Company during the 17th century.

In 2011, Coley exhibited at the ACCA (Australian Centre for Contemporary Art) in Melbourne. 'Appearances' consisted of vast concrete platforms elevated off of the floor with adjoining steps. Inspired by Oscar Niemeyer's architectural designs, Coley's Landings are characterised by a sense of theatricality which renders the viewer, or participant, aware of his or her interaction with the work.

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