Thursday, January 28, 2010

Underneath

Modern day artist Jacques Nimki's practice involves the use of wild plants to communicate ideas about environmental and cultural issues. His compositions are intricate and gradually built up using hundreds of life sized drawings. Using water based media and sometimes real plants laminated into the surface of the work for additional texture, he documents a given area of weeds/wildflowers over a block of time. He is interested in making " a carefully constructed record of what is regarded as worthless and insignificant ... and imbue them with a sense of exclusivity and beauty." ( pg. 210, Art of the Garden: The Garden in British Art 1800 to the Present Day) I think Nimki is very successful in his pursuits. He is a good example of an artist who has created a large body of work based on the ordinary, the overlooked.


In 2006 Nimki had a second solo show at The Approach . As part of the show he transplanted weeds he had grown from seeds using artificial lighting and a Hydrophonics system.

Image from The Approach

Check out the close up views of some of these images to discover the world composed by Nimki.

Another interesting project that Nimki has created can be found at this site called Untold . He uses an interface on his palm pilot to collect much of his data for his artwork. On this site visitors are allowed to interact with his data by printing out sketches of plants and emailing them to friends. As the site says... "Each time a sketch is printed it turns up on a different place on the page mimicking the way weeds appear.

I first came across Nimki's work while reading Art of the Garden which was a publication based on a major show at the Tate that looked at the work of British artists over several centuries whose work focused on gardens. His focus on weeds and wildflowers brought me back to Ruskin's direction to paint what grows naturally, not what is tended by humans. The intricate nature of Nimki's work produces a world that the viewer can become lost in. The beauty of the overlooked and unconsidered cannot be ignored.



7 comments:

Patrice said...

I'm interested in the natural world and the preservation of our planet and a huge fan of conceptual art. So your post of Nimki's work really struck a chord with me.

I love "chance operations" and often find that the most intriguing of art and creativity springs from letting someting be.

Great post!

Unknown said...

Very cool! I like this multifaceted approach to art. It involves all the senses. Thank you for featuring the work of this fantastic artist.

Poetic Artist said...

Thank you for introducing his work. The natural world it is amazing. So is his work.

layers said...

Installation art usually encompasses all the senses-- not just sight-- because it occupies space-- and conceptually conjures memories and experiences of the familiar--like the natural world

Shayla said...

Very true. The overlooked and unconsidered are often the most exciting subjects. What an interesting exhibit.

The Artist Within Us said...

Greetings Margaret,

You certainly find the most interesting works of art and as you share their world with us, you have enriched those you came for a visit and take in what you have posted.

For this I thank you.

Warmest regards,
Egmont

The Artist Within Us said...

I forgot to mention that I have been a firm believer that we as artists have a responsibility to also create art of that which is overlooked and not given even a glance, by revealing its beauty.

Egmont