top of page

Artist Statement

Art can be a powerful tool for exploring boundaries, both in the physical world and in the realm of ideas and concepts. In science, boundary conditions refer to the limits or constraints that define a system or environment. But they could equally well refer to the societal and political constraints that define how we interact with each other. In my work I attempt to use painting to explore this tension, often by balancing rigid chromatic structure against free flowing lines to create a sense of depth and complexity.

​​

My practice could also be seen as a series of snapshots of my ongoing exploration of the boundary between the figurative and the abstract. Each new painting or drawing takes something from an earlier work as its starting point. Any original marks may become obscured as a new surface evolves. Almost recognizable forms appear and disappear. Drips defy gravity as the painting is turned on its side or upside down. Chance discoveries are made and exploited or discarded as the artist follows an intuitive process that continues until in his eyes the work achieves a point of balance.

​

Biography

Education

 

2008        Slade School of Fine Art                     BA (hons) in Fine Art.

2004        Chelsea College of Art                       Foundation in Art and Design

 

Solo Projects & Exhibitions

 

June 2023, ‘Boundary Conditions’, Stamford Arts Centre, Stamford.

August 2013, ‘Mythologies’, Ice House Gallery, Holland Park, London

Feb 2008, ‘A Sense of Place’, Rivington Gallery, Hoxton, London

 

Selected Group Projects & Exhibitions

​

August 2026, Sixteen Gallery Open Exhibition, Cheltenham, UK.

August 2026, Under the Skin of Things. Online exhibition organised by Cista Arts.

Feb 2022, Four Week Draw. Web based drawing project on Social ARTery.

August 2019, Work Featured in the August Edition of WOTISART Magazine.

March 2018, Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London.

June 2012, ‘Orchestrated’, Studio One Gallery, Wandsworth, London.

October 2011, ‘Drawing Connections’, Sienna Institute of Art, Italy..

July 2011, Dolphin Square Contemporary Art Exhibition, London.

July 2011, ‘Göz Göze’, Beyukada, Istanbul.

Nov 2010, ‘Accidental Icons’, The Shed-and-a-half Gallery, London.

Feb 2010, 'Hinterland', The Rag Factory, London.

Dec 2009, 'Postcards from Dystopia', Nolias Gallery, London.

Nov 2008, ' Steel', The Jago, Hoxton, London.

May 2008, ‘.Ism’, Gallery12, Hampstead, London.

March 2008, ‘Shifting Units’, Unit b, Westbourne Park, London.

July 2007, ‘Drawn to Abstraction’, Escape, Herne Hill, London.

April 2007, ' 10-60-80', Rivington Gallery, Hoxton, London.

Feb 2007, ' Stripped', Rivington Gallery, Hoxton, London.

April 2006, Tal R Collage Project, Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

Awards

 

March 2018, Finalist in Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize.

 

Collections

 

2009   'Untitled (In the caravan)', Corporate Collection Nimrod Capital.

2008    'The Grid', Corporate Collection Hg Capital.

 

© 2026 by Nick Barratt. Powered and secured by Wix 

 

bottom of page