Nick Malone: A Journey of Artistic Exploration
Nick Malone: A Journey of Artistic Exploration
Eutopia Art Residency is proud to feature Nick Malone, a multifaceted artist and writer from the UK, whose remarkable career has seen him exhibit widely across international stages, experiment with innovative artistic techniques, and merge visual art with narrative storytelling. Nick’s journey exemplifies a dynamic approach to creativity, encompassing painting, drawing, and literature.
Kavala Project
A Nick’s Malone poster at
Contemporary Art on the London Underground during Frieze Week.
Nick’s time at the Eutopia Art Residency in Kavala played a pivotal role in shaping his creative trajectory. During this period, a project begun exploring techniques that allowed him to create an exhibition fitting for our gallery space. He managed to develope the use of cut-outs and water-based materials on large-scale paper works. This exploration led to the creation of a collection that would later be featured in London and beyond.
One highlight from his Kavala-inspired work includes a striking drawing of a goat’s skull, which gained significant recognition when displayed at the Royal Watercolour Society’s exhibition in London. This piece embodies the raw yet refined aesthetic that defines much of Nick’s oeuvre.
Another one of the works was selected for a poster of
Contemporary Art on the London Underground during Frieze Week.
“Malone's paintings explore the points at which painting passes into inscription, is transformed, and passes back again, and where we might reconsider what we look for, and what we might read, in a painting.”
— JJ Charlesworth
(Goat’s skull, Kavala)
Expanding Horizons
Following the Kavala residency, Nick’s works continued to garner attention. His exhibition at Bermondsey Project Space in London was selected by GalleriesNow for a permanent virtual tour, enhancing his visibility within the art community. The show also featured an insightful catalogue essay by Mark Hudson, Chief Art Critic for The Daily Telegraph and The Independent.
Nick Malone in Eutopia Art Residency workspace
“THE KAVALA SERIES IN THE WORK OF NICK MALONE MARK HUDSON
The art of Nick Malone exists at the interface of abstraction and representation, of visual art and literature. The artist has been at different times both painter and writer, and these sometime and ongoing creative identities seem to jostle for position in the works in this exhibition, which have the character of letters or memos as much as paintings or drawings, missives that have been scrawled, splashed, collaged and drawn by the artist, and addressed to himself at a pivotal juncture in his career. Executed on very large sheets of paper over the course of an eight-day residency at the Eutopia Art Residency in Kavala, Northern Greece, the mostly monochrome works overlay vigorous dripping, splashing and spraying in black ink with very precisely drawn animal imagery – dragonflies, sea urchins, lizards cut-out and stuck onto these expressive surfaces. More eyes and jaws and teeth emerge from the crowded painterly backgrounds: fierce fish, predatory birds – owls, crows – a goat, creatures with particular transformative and metamorphic potential for the artist – and haunted human faces very simply delineated with an almost absent-minded quality redolent of a trance or dream state. And as always with Malone, the word, whether written, drawn or spoken, is never far away. Three handwritten poems presented as paintings attest to a positively animistic sense of identification with the animal and material universe, expressed in richly lyrical terms.”
(part of the catalog text)
Upcoming Show at the Royal Society of Arts
Nick’s upcoming exhibition at the Royal Society of Arts marks another milestone. Opening in January in the RSA’s atmospheric vaults, the show will delve into themes of identity, transformation, and the artistic journey. It will be complemented by a mystery thriller/artist’s book, The Disappearance of Makepeace – A Tale of Two Lives, supported by Arts Council England. This publication serves as a narrative framework connecting his artwork to the exhibition’s spatial design, with QR codes linking guests to related podcasts.
“Malone works in a large number of media at an accomplished and sophisticated level each time.”
— Sacha Craddock
Artistic Philosophy and Legacy
Nick’s work is characterized by its multi-layered approach. While the initial visual impact captivates the viewer, he encourages a deeper engagement to uncover “the archaeology of the paint.” His art invites reflection on transformation and discovery, themes that mirror his own evolution as an artist. His practice, blending conceptual depth with dynamic visuals, offers exciting opportunities for collaboration and curation.
Eutopia Art Residency celebrates Nick Malone as an artist who embodies the adventurous spirit of creation. His work not only enriches our community but also inspires conversations across cultural and artistic spheres. We invite you to explore his art further through his website nickmalone.com and Instagram @nickmaloneart.
For those in London, the RSA exhibition’s Private View on January 21 promises to be a captivating experience—a testament to Nick’s enduring contribution to the arts follow his page in order to get an invitation for the event. Let’s continue to embrace his remarkable journey!
