MEASURING ELVIS

“Nina Mae Fowler is a drawer, albeit a very painterly one... a master of time and space... Her subjects have ranged from Elvis Presley to bull fighters, crooners to tabloid celebrities, but most of all it is the stars of early Hollywood that have fascinated her; all areas where the individual is accorded an iconic presence that often bears little resemblance to the real person beneath...”

Barry Miles, Counterculture Historian

This monograph of works to date (2015) by British artist Nina Mae Fowler, explores her practice through the words of cultural figures, from prominent curators, film and art theorists to acclaimed playwrights and Hollywood film directors. This multifaceted approach has resulted in an in-depth and varied commentary on the artist’s unique work and contemporary society’s relationship with fame.

Fowler is known for her large-scale enigmatic pencil and graphite drawings and accompanying sculptural works. Measuring Elvis exposes the intensive research methods used by the artist as well as presenting an overview of Fowler’s artistic practices, including discussions of her trademark cutout drawings and ambitious installations.

Contributing authors include:

Performance Artist Eloise Fornieles

Film Director John Maybury

Counterculture Historian Barry Miles

Actress Sienna Miller

Former Director of the National Portrait Gallery and Curator Sandy Nairne

British Playwright Polly Stenham
Film Historian and Theorist Margherita Sprio

BP Portrait Award Winning Artist Craig Wylie