Born 1990 I Lives and works in New York NY, USA
Mosaics have a long history that dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. They were fashioned out of small pieces of available natural materials, such as ivory, seashells or stones. Cameron Welch continues this established tradition with a modern twist, using old tiles and found materials to create his works. He cuts, modifies and combines artefacts that he has found lying around or pulled out of dumpsters into a narrative that is greater than the sum of its parts. His mosaic compositions portray new versions of old myths, and as such he could be called a contemporary archaeologist.
Welch incorporates used whole objects – CDs, musical instruments and other everyday things – to make modified bathroom and subway tiles. He paints expressively on the mosaic to create new layers and dimensions, and he also uses pieces of mirror to reflect the viewer and include them in the artwork. He is interested in self-identification in front of the works – where is the spectator in relation to the story? What does one see and feel when part of one’s body is reflected in the work?
NOMAD is the first in a new series that explores ideas around archaeology and constructed cultural identities. His work often reflects his own mixed ethnic heritage – his father is Afro-American and his mother from Romania – but also in this case travellers and how they gather things as they move from place to place. Welch picks up things as he goes, both found materials and different processes or techniques such as mosaic or gestural painting. He is ultimately interested in juxtaposing various contexts in a ‘nomadic’ way, both contex-tually and materially, to create a new mythology.
