Ken Nahan

B. 1960, New Orleans, LA, USA

My recent drawings are a form of storytelling without words. I invite viewers to experience them as if listening to an imagined melody, with the narratives shaped by their own interpretations, sparking curiosity and discovery. These works draw inspiration from my deep appreciation for diverse musical genres and the visual language of artists like Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, and Alexander Calder.
Some of my smaller pieces are created on handmade paper, while others take shape on nautical charts or topographical maps. These maps are sanded to soften their features, creating a weathered, textured surface that evokes erosion and the passage of time. This deliberate process transforms the maps into a foundation that tells its own story before the first line is drawn. Using ink, my drawings emerge as spontaneous improvisations, blending abstraction, geometry, and musicality. They carry no predetermined intent, allowing the interplay of flowing lines, circles, spirals, squares, and rectangles to unfold organically. Repeating motifs often mirror musical cadences, while orchestrated colors suggest tonalities, creating a visual composition that resonates with rhythm and movement. - Ken Nahan

"A sketch of Ken...

In 1983, Ken Nahan graduated with honors and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Tulane University. In addition, Nahan traveled to Europe where he worked under the guidance of his mentor and friend, Max Papart. He has studied various printmaking techniques, creating lithographs at Atelier Grapholith and with Pierre Chave, etchings with Robert Dutrou, and, most recently, silkscreens with master screenprinter Gary Lichtenstein. With influences ranging from primitive and pre-Colombian art to contemporary masters, Nahan's work embodies an aura of mystery and lyricism within simple aesthetic constructs. Nahan has exhibited throughout the U.S. and Europe and his works are collected worldwide. He currently lives and works in New Orleans, LA.

2024

A.L. Lowe, Solo Exhibition, New Orleans, LA
Core Art Space, Architecture of Form, Group Exhibition, Lakewood, CO

Elliott Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2017

Octavia Art Gallery, "Celebration," Group Exhibition, New Orleans, LA

2016

Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Centers Permanent Collection, Commack Expansion, Long Island, NY

2014

TEN Gallery, TEN Gallery Collective Exhibition, Group Exhibition, New Orleans, LA
Du Mois, "Voyages," Solo Exhibition, New Orleans, LA, http://arte-walk.blogspot.com/search/label/Ken%20Kenan
TEN Gallery, "Pen and Paper," Solo Exhibition, New Orleans, LA

2013

TEN Gallery, "The Artist and His Collection," curator, New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Healing Center, "Masquerade," New Orleans, LA
TEN Gallery, "Ten for Ten's Sake," New Orleans, LA
Ridgefield Playhouse, Reception with Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Ridgefield, CT
TEN Gallery, "Wisdom is Fleeting: New Collaborative Works by Rex Dingler and Ken Nahan," New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Healing Center, "Sacred Music," New Orleans, LA
Boyd Satellite Gallery, "Megalomania," a group exhibition curated by Blake Boyd, New Orleans, LA

2012
The Art Salon, Ten Collective group show, "Volley!," New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Healing Center, "Divine Comedy: Celebra...