Nathan Beard is a young Western Australian artist whose work deals with the fluid nature of personal and cultural identities. Often based in an exploration of his own Thai-Australian background, his practice is conceptually and materially hybrid as he combines sumptuously rendered sculpture, photography and drawing to produce thoughtful, provocative and elusive experiences.

Central to his WA Focus display is Beard’s suite of mixed media photographic works titled Ad Matres. This work features manipulated images of found photographs depicting deceased relatives from his mother’s abandoned home in Nakhon Nayak, Thailand. Beard has meticulously decorated these portraits with intricate crystal patterns combining influences from various death masks and runway fashions with traditional Thai culture.