Nicolas Nicolini

Painting isn’t only a medium in Nicolas Nicolini’s practice; it is also a subject and grounds for research that remains in a constant state of renewal and experimentation. His pictures can also be understood as scenic spaces within which the game of representation unfolds. The objects he paints are placed in front of more or less natural backgrounds, centred and open to scrutiny; their presence is awkward and their incongruity occasionally borders on ridicule. The artifice of the staging echoes the artifice of the chosen objects. An inflatable (or non-inflatable) pool, a blue plastic sandpit, a tent, or a toy all evoke today’s need for leisure and represent symptoms of an idle society. His landscapes also seem consumable, prehensible, stunted, horizonless, even painted within the painting itself – and the circle is complete. Aside from this solitary work, Nicolas Nicolini has also created a variety of other painted or non-painted forms as a result of numerous collaborations. Whether working with the Yassemeqk collective or occasionally with other artists, he explores the multiple facets of shared creation.