Nick Meyer: Good Bones
Nick Meyer lives and works in Western Massachusetts. Taking a documentary-adjacent approach, his photographs explore permanence and mutability, finding beauty in the patina of decay and the worn-away by time. Photographed in Western Massachusetts, his imagery is inextricably tied to this place and instantly recognizable to anyone who has spent time here.
Whether photographing people or landscapes, Meyer refuses to ignore the heartbreaking beauty in the worn-out and beaten down. His color is both otherworldly and timeless, and a majestic light ennobles his subjects; an empty storefront or a stranger napping face down in a public park. In the proper light, a pedestrian can look like a famous Hollywood actor. Crop out specific details in the background and a disused bus stop can look staged, like a film still from a European art-house movie. Rather than gloss over the strife in this region, he faces it with his lens, ensuring this area is not lumped in with the forgotten America.
The “left-behind” is a familiar photographic trope, from the FSA photographers to Robert Frank and Stephen Shore. But Meyer is a native son, and his heart is clearly in the right place — he’s still here. He sees the full picture: the decay, loss, and misfortune alongside the authentic and lush beauty of this area and its people.
About the Artist:
Nick Meyer (B.1981) lives and works in Western Massachusetts. His work has been shown both nationally and internationally and is included in numerous private collections. Meyer teaches photo and video as an adjunct professor at Greenfield Community College.