John Nicol was talking with Ross Sinclair, Rosie O'Grady and Tessa Lynch over Skype with Francis McKee and Cedric Tai in Detroit.
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Born 1980 in Aberdeen Scotland, John Nicol graduated from Grays School of Art in 2001, and finished the MFA at Glasgow School of Art in 2011. Nicol currently lives in Glasgow, and has spent the last few years dividing his time between musical projects, exhibitions, and voluntary work at a local artist run space.
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A word from the curator about John's work in this exhibition:
John Nicol researches what gives something value or what takes it down by how he manipulates objects and materials. What draws in the viewer is a moment that is actually shared with the artist out of a mutual curiosity. The background of the paintings have a surface treatment similar to what watchmakers do to the surface of the gears, a flourish of indulgence, proof of the attention given to the parts of the whole. A drum performance with a 24 minute duration depicts the passing of a day, meanwhile in the gallery, if left alone, there is the soft ticking of watches. A corner of the shelving display is peeled away to unfurl layers of plastic and cardboard which actually increases rather than reduces the seductive qualities of the reflective surfaces. Perhaps this is because we recognize the cheapness of materials is actually in an inverse relationship to the cleverness of its use.
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References worth checking out:
Dandies Fashion and Finesse in Art and Culture by Susan Fillin-Yeh
Watchmaking by George Daniels
Good Times Bad Times - Led Zeppelin
