SeeSAW, Nathaniel Russell + Louis Schmidt

SeeSAW is a 52 page zine and exhibition catalog from artists Nathaniel Russell and Louis Schmidt. The zine accompanies their two person show of the same name that opens at These Days Gallery in Los Angeles from April 3–May 30, 2021.

Artists Statement:
"SeeSaw is a two-person exhibition bringing together the work of Nathaniel Russell and Louis M Schmidt. Featuring paintings, drawings, prints, found objects and photographs from each artists’ personal collections, as well as a brand-new collaborative publication that was the impetus behind the exhibition, SeeSAW is a sort of midwestern yin/yang, a dialogue between friends who share a deep concern for human equilibrium- the balancing of pain and grief with joy and humor, a concern for our individual and collective well-being, a concern with the equitable distribution of power. Russell and Schmidt are also excited to present a small group exhibition curated within SeeSAW, featuring works by artist friends in conversation with the exhibition’s themes.

The seesaw, a ubiquitous playground object of both artists’ midwestern childhoods, has been conjured here as an instrument through which to witness humanity’s eternal struggle of balance and imbalance; between the myriad dualities, binaries, polarities that both draw and bind us together but also rip and cast us apart. To play upon a seesaw is to engage in both a balancing act and an exchange of agency. One person descends so the other may rise, one only rises as the other falls, in perpetuity. One always falling, one always rising. Engaged but static, a seesaw connects its humans on a level playing field. Once in motion, the (im)balance of power ignites itself into action. Is this exchange a battle of wills, or a sharing of high and low? How does the dynamic function with disproportionately weighted sides? Should we dismiss the seesaw for the merry-go-round, or would spinning in circles just make us more sick?"

Co-Published by & Pens Press and These Days, 2021

• Measures 5.5" x 8"
• Digital B&W Print
• 52 Pages
• Saddle Stapled
• Full Bleed Back Cover
• Edition of 75 copies