text: Nate Lewis is interested in the unseen. His work is driven by empathy, and the desire to understand nuanced points of view. By altering photographs, he aims to challenge people’s perspectives on race and history through distortion and illusion. Combining aspects of photography, etching, and ink drawing, Nate Lewis’ paper sculptures reflect his nine years of experience as a critical-care nurse. He scrapes and lifts the top layer of photographic paper to create evocative textures with surgical precision. Treating the paper like an organism itself, he sculpts patterns akin to cellular tissue and anatomical elements, allowing hidden histories and patterns to be uncovered from the photographs. Ultimately, the work embraces humanistic ideas of human connection and understanding.