Nicolas Pol :: Allsopp Contemporary :: Artist

Biography

Nicolas Pol's (b. 1977) large canvases employ a striking array of styles, references and techniques whilst offering an aesthetic that is unique, complex and assured in its depth. Combining street art, graphic design and a multitude of fine art references from Renaissance masters to Majerus and Basquiat, Pol's craft is remarkably honed for a painter so young. The success of Pol's work stems from the interplay between the immediacy of colour and iconography with a structure and all-over quality that demand prolonged attention.

Pol's recent paintings take on an apocalyptic vision of the world. Whilst seemingly semi-fantastical the works are very much rooted in Pol's preoccupation with scientific advances, the notion that there is nothing left to be discovered and that mystery and surprise are a thing of the past. Whilst the subject matter is at times dark - full of killing devices and looming figures - his aesthetic is seductive and sensual, offering a fitting portrayal of the polished yet misleading reality presented to the contemporary consumer.

Ironically (yet fittingly) this apocalyptic vision is itself imbued with a complexity and originality that smacks of instant discovery and inspiration. Furthermore, all this is achieved through the act of painting - a medium that was thought to have made its last discovery decades ago.

Nicolas lives and works in Paris.

Education

Solo Exhibitions

2008

Nicolas Pol, Allsopp Contemporary, London (catalogue)

2005

Life Goes On If You're Lucky, Allsopp Contemporary, London

Group Exhibitions

2006

PARISITES: Julien Berthier, Lili Phung, Nicolas Pol, Allsopp Contemporary, London

2005

Next Step: Selected 2005 Graduates, Allsopp Contemporary, London

Loic le Gaillard, London

Place St. Sulplice, Paris

J-en Rêve, Fondation Cartier, Paris

Plus Que Vrai, ENSBA Salle des Quais, Paris

2004

Salon de Montrouge, Paris

2003

Roccoc and Co., ENSBA Salle des Quais, Paris

Body Rottin', Au Chocolat, Paris

2002

Igrek Be Galerie, Paris

2001

Toca Francesca Group Exhibition, ENSBA Galerie Gauche, paris

Bibliography