Adam Nelson Studios

light, screen print, steel, thermoform plastic 

dimensions: 96"x45"x24" 

Digital imagery screen printed, plaster, urethane, eps foam, fiberglass, pigment, light

dimensions: 27'x12'x variable 

wood, steel, concrete, thermoform plastic, one broken brick

dimensions: 12'x8'x5'

This piece was made for a show that took place in Baltimore City, and had a theme of water. The "riots" of April 2015 had just taken place, so I made a hybrid of various water features you find in public places to create a narrative about the undercurrent of strife and willingness to risk the status quo. It is part water tower, reflecting pool, and wishing well that allows the viewer to stand at the bottom of a "body" of water (made of thermoform plastic). There is one broken brick drifting across the top of the pool. 

Images provided by Adam Nelson (adamnelsonstudios). All rights reserved.

plaster, imagery, urethane (2017)

31"x24"x5" 

thermoform plastic panels (15), light 

dimensions: 12'x15'xvariable

In 2013 I was commissioned by the National Aquarium to create a suspended sculpture above the entrance to their new exhibit. This sculpture was meant to evoke the feeling of traveling underwater and create an immersive experience related to their theme of connecting to water. This installation has over one million guests walk underneath it each year. 

plaster, imagery, ink, urethane (2017)

dimensions variable 

steel, screen print, thermoform plastic, light

dimensions: 72"x30"variable 

plaster, imagery, urethane (2017)

dimensions variable

wood, screen print, thermoform plastic, light

dimensions: 132"x24"x96"

This is a sculpture I made about the attempt to hold up abandoned row homes in the city of Baltimore. As one house collapses, it acts as a literal metaphor for the surrounding community in regards to letting one home fall; the others are soon to follow. Wood scaffolding is used to hold back the inevitable collapse of these bowed structures, and often you find a collapsed home with the scaffolding still standing. I started to think of these as architectural ghosts, standing in plain view as an omnipresent reminder. I created bowed images of some of these structures that are flexing against the fleeting attempt to hold them at bay, and at the same time the images are akin to "negatives" as most of those structures have in all likelihood collapsed in the time since I created the piece. 

Images provided by Adam Nelson (adamnelsonstudios.com). All rights reserved.

cast aluminum, bitumen tar, bronze dust

dimensions: 40"x16"x6" 

steel, screen print, thermoform plastic, light 

dimensions: 192"x12"x8"

screen print, thermoform plastic, steel, light

dimensions: 96"x50"x15" 

redwood, plaster, concrete, screen print, thermoform plastic

dimensions: 8"x8"xvariable

This is a series of small sculptures that combine characteristics of glacial elements and visuals seen in the sky. An attempt was made to represent these vast open spaces in a small concentrated way that shares an art historical lineage with the idea of "capturing the landscape". The wooden beams are serving a dual function of being "staked" in the ground and at the same time attempt to hold back unavoidable atmosphere. These sculptures have lead to a series of works I've titled Failure to Capture the Landscape. 

cast iron, solder, american flag

dimensions: 40"x15"x8"

The Star Jet roller coaster was built on top of the Seaside Pier in New Jersey. It stretched out over the Atlantic Ocean, and as it decayed a new roller coaster was built in its place called the Jet Star. Hurricane Sandy swept it off of the pier and placed it just off shore in the Atlantic where is sat half out of the water. The mayor of the town thought it should be preserved as a "tourist site". One person swam out to it with a supply of food with the intention of living on it, and erected an american flag on its highest point. It was later torn down for scrap. The idea of creating this kind of leisure excitement on the edge of such a powerfully unpredictable force (the ocean) led to the creation of this cast iron waterscape. The sea taketh away. 

Images provided by Ákos Major (http://akosmajor.com). All rights reserved.

cast bronze shoe (2014)

dimensions: 12"x5"x4" 

chromed thermoform plastic, screen print, wood

dimensions: 40"x6"x24" 

steel, screen print, thermoform plastic

dimensions: 72"x30"x30" 

thermoformed plastic, debris, found objects, light

dimensions: 12' x15'x variable

asphalt, thermoform plastic panels 

dimensions: 19.5"x22" (30 panels)

wood, screen print, thermoform plastic 

dimensions: variable

These three pieces were created for site specific empty transoms above residents of the Foggy Bottom neighborhood for the third biennial: Foggy Bottom Sculpting outside the lines, Washington D.C.

thermoform plastic, light

dimensions: 14'x9'x variable