Nicolas Nicolini

From the very first glance, the construction of the painting challenges, intrigues and questions. Working on the painting like a sculptor on his material, Nicolas Nicolini elaborates a complex pictorial work evoking the technique of collage and installation. Each painting seems to be embodied in a scenography of space, with all the elements thoroughly finding their place in the composition. This arrangement of patterns emerged in a juxtaposition of surfaces reminiscent of the medieval technique of perspective through an overlay of scenes and a gradation of colors, from the darkest to the lightest for the farthest horizon.

This framework presents in the whole of his work, hosts figuration or abstraction, such as photographed sculpture. The patterns appear in full view in a play of shapes and colors, all at once vivid, intriguing and attractive. Without ever disappearing from his work, this vocabulary evolves considerably, from the intimacy of an interior to the urban setting and finally the evocation of nature, presents in Nicolas Nicolini’s work from the beginning and taking a central role for several years now

This shift to the nature is materialized by the representation of wooden structures of varying complexity and indeterminate function. This indeterminate function refers to the inability of our civilization to provide a coherent response to environmental issues. Oscillating between flags evoking a hypocritical respect for nature and vain makeshift shelters, these forms call both the past and the future through the nostalgia of a bygone era and yet constantly extended and projected into the future.

Made by rubbing the paint from the background with a stick of oil paint, these sculptural patterns invite us to reflect on our relationship with nature and our inevitably common and uncertain future.