We caught up with NYC artist Nicolas Holiber ahead of his largest show to date at UNIT galleries in London. In Shape Shifter, Holiber delivers a series of Francis Bacon-esque portraits transmitting heightened, raw emotional intensity; facial features consumed by voluptuous brushes of vibrant colors that reveal the complicated intricacies behind the human facade.
Juan Marco Torres: Can you share a bit about your background, how you’ve evolved as an artist?
Nicolas Holiber: I’ve always been making art throughout my life and I hope that my evolution as an artist is constant, but I can say that things really started to change about 10 years ago. This happened when I decided to dedicate myself to my work and began exploring and experimenting with everything I could find.
JMT: Where do you find inspiration at the moment?
NH: I find inspiration through working in the studio as much as I can.
JMT: Tell us about your Unit London show, where did the idea for Shape-Shifter come from?
NH: The idea came naturally out of my process and how I work. That material and content can shift into one another to create new forms and meanings. The title of the show refers literally to the work shifting and transforming as you view it, but also fluctuating between painting and sculpture.
JMT: Can you tell us about your painting process, what does creating one of these pieces look like?
NH: Things are constantly in flux as I’m working- content and form are always changing. I don’t use any source imagery in my practice, so I rely on the material to guide me during this process. I begin with a heavy acrylic paste and move large amounts of it around on the canvas, kind of drawing with it using my hands and other tools. Form gets built up and compositions start to appear, and I can decide to develop it further or leave the work in a more ambiguous state of completion. Once this is left to dry, I come back to it with oil paint and continue to develop the work through color and more texture.
JMT: How did you achieve your characteristic impasto style?
NH: Lots of experimentation!
JMT: Tell us who you’ve painted and why, who is behind those portraits in your paintings?
NH: There are 4 portraits in this show that are unique because my subjects sat for me as I was painting them. These 4 people are close friends and it was a fun experiment to work from life in this way. The other portraits are all done from my imagination but include one of my wife and a series of 4 self-portraits.
JMT: What do you wish the audience to take away from your work?
NH: I want the audience to see painting as an interactive and reactive endeavor- that the artist and viewer can each bring something to the work. That form and content can be connected. I want them to experience the physicality of this work by seeing it in person. And I wish the audience to see my paintings as beautiful.
JMT: How does it feel having this exhibition in London? What does showing in this city mean to you?
NH: I’m ecstatic about showing in London. It’s a huge achievement for me and really an honor to exhibit my work in a city where so many of my artistic influences and idols came from.
JMT: What’s next? Any interesting projects you’d like to dive into or can share with us?
NH: Keep an eye out for a new sculpture edition I’ll be releasing later this summer.
