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Entrée to Black Paris Blog

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Thursday, November 5th, 2026

Nate Lewis at Zidoun & Bossuyt

Cover image: Zidoun & Bossuyt – Timbre in the Current
© Entrée to Black Paris

When I learned that Nate Lewis was a critical care nurse cum visual artist and that Cerebral Women podcast host Phyllis Hollis was going to interview him in Paris, I cleared my schedule to attend the event.

As a retired veterinary pathologist and toxicologist, I was intrigued to read Lewis’ description of his work as “sculpt[ing] patterns akin to cellular tissue and anatomical elements” and “treating … paper like an organism.” In growing to understand how deeply his artistic practice was influenced by his medical career, I couldn’t wait to see what he produced.

The interview was held at Zidoun & Bossuyt in the 6^th arrondissement.

Hollis interviewed Lewis for the third episode of her podcast in 2020, so the Paris encounter represented a reunion. The rapport between artist and interviewer was warm, and the interview questions and responses were thoughtful.

Nate Lewis and Phyllis Hollis preparing for the interview
© Entrée to Black Paris

During the interview
© Entrée to Black Paris

Hollis opened the interview by announcing the title of Lewis’ exhibition – Timbre in the Current – and reading the definition of “timbre”: the unique quality, color, or texture of a sound that distinguishes it from its source. Early in the conversation, she broached the subject of Lewis’ first foray into art, which was through music rather than visual art.

Lewis learned to play the violin in 2008 before taking up drawing in 2010 and evolving into the visual artist he is today. His current work bears witness to that interest – he has included images of musical staffs and notes as background for some of his predominantly black and white works. This is especially prominent in Timbre Fields 4, which is the largest work in the show.

Timbre Fields 4
(2026) Hand sculpted inkjet print, ink, graphite, frottage, colored pencil sticks
Photo © Entrée to Black Paris

What looks like vertical white tracings resembling a veil from a distance becomes a julienned representation of William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1 – Afro-American Symphony when viewed up close.

Timbre Fields 4 (detail)
(2026) Hand sculpted inkjet print, ink, graphite, frottage, colored pencil sticks
Photo © Entrée to Black Paris

Lewis spoke poignantly about how he was first inspired to transform ECG tracings into art and his attempts at doing so. His black and white creations evoke radiography and the use of contrast media in medicine.

I find Lewis’ process for creating art utterly fascinating. He uses a scalpel, needles, and engraving tools to cut, perforate, and lift fibers from paper to bring forth textures that simultaneously evoke cellular tissue and topographic relief. He builds each of his works in layers: using a printed photographic image as the foundation, he reworks it by hand through rubbing (frottage), engraving, drawing, painting, and highlighting with colored pencil.

Incising paper
Image courtesy of Zidoun & Bossuyt

I am interested in the unseen. My work is driven by empathy, and the desire to understand nuanced points of view. By altering photographs, I aim to challenge people's perspectives on race and history through distortion and illusion.
~Nate Lewis

Timbre Fields 3
(2026) Hand sculpted inkjet print, ink, colored pencil sticks, frottage, graphite
Photo © Entrée to Black Paris

Timbre Fields 3 (detail)
(2026) Hand sculpted inkjet print, ink, colored pencil sticks, frottage, graphite
Photo © Entrée to Black Paris

Zidoun & Bossuyt hosted a solo exhibition for Lewis entitled Still Tuning a Current in Paris in 2023. Part of the 2026 Timbre in the Current exhibition is simultaneously on display at its Luxembourg facility.

Timbre in the Current runs through December 19, 2026 in Paris and Luxembourg.

Zidoun & Bossuyt
51 rue de Seine
75006 Paris
Metro: Mabillon (Line 10)
Email: contact@zidoun-bossuyt.com

Hours : Tuesday through Saturday 11 AM to 6 PM