Objects are transformed into stories of the collective experience and poignant social commentary by assemblage artist Eric Nado. Working with mechanical relics including typewriters and sewing machines, the Canadian artist explores our relationship with industry, labor, and the past.

Nado studied Visual Arts and Philosophy at Montreal University and embarked on his fine arts career in the late 1990s. Drawn to recycled art and inspired by the etymology of the word ‘robot’ — meaning ‘forced labor’ in Czech — he started out creating;robot-like figures from found objects. His series entitled Seamstress sees sewing machine parts reimagined as female figures, commenting on the human experience of industrialization.

In Typewriter Guns, Nado uses disassembled typewriters to create rifles, playing on the old adage that, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” His approach is meticulous, through a five-step process of dismantling, laying out, composition, assembly, and finish, to create reimagined objects that are both meaningful and aesthetically compelling. Nado is an accredited artist in the Quebec Ministry of Culture’s Integration of Arts and Architecture Program and has exhibited in Montreal, California, New York, and Miami, among others. His work is held by international contemporary art collections including The Boston Globe and The Dean Collection.