Bio
Nick West is a British artist from Brighton. He studied Fine Art at the Kent Institute of Art & Design, specialising in Graphic Fine Art, a discipline that stemmed from printmaking and photography and to include artists’ books, installation and video art.
Much of his practice starts with the physical book as its subject. In the past, West has used the folded pages of a subway map to create abstract paintings or made a perpetual alphabet using circular-bound books. In a recent artwork, he assembled a book from hundreds of matches.
Interested in language, abstraction, and disrupted narratives, West makes objects that require performing repetitive tasks to produce, usually without deviating from the initial idea.
Nick West lives and works in Tokyo. He lectures at Joshibi University of Art & Design, organises Artist Talks and contributes to various art publications.
Selected Exhibitions
Jan. 2019 In the Details Gallery Le Deco, Shibuya, Tokyo
Nov. 2018 RCA Secret 2018 Royal College of Art, London, UK
Sep. 2018 Turning the Page Paper Gallery, Manchester, UK
Sep. 2018 Reading Between the Lines Launchpad Gallery, Yokohama
May 2018 On Paper Clouds Art + Coffee Koenji, Tokyo
May 2018 World Book Day Exhibition World of Glass Museum, UK
Apr. 2018 World Book Day Exhibition Eccleston Library, St. Helen’s, UK
Oct. 2017 Tokyo Art Book Fair 2017 Tennozu Isle, Tokyo
Aug. 2017 Volumes ONCA St George’s Place, Brighton, UK
Apr. 2017 Subway Tacchi Studios, Shibuya, Tokyo
Mar. 2017 Surfaces Nishimachi Artist Space, Motoazabu, Tokyo
Sep. 2016 Tokyo Art Book Fair 2016 Shinanomachi, Tokyo
Public Engagement
Sep. 2018 Introducing Artists’ Books Launchpad Gallery, Yokohama
Sep. 2018 Workshop: How to Make a Book Launchpad Gallery, Yokohama
May 2018 Introducing ‘On Paper’ Clouds Art + Coffee, Koenji, Tokyo
Jul. 2017 Artist Talk: My Practice Good Heavens, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo
Sep. 2014 Tokyo Murals Pecha-Kucha Night, Super Deluxe, Roppongi, Tokyo
Collaborations
May 2015 Blueprint Arthur Huang, Yuko Kamei, John Reardon, Hyemin Son
Jan. 2010 Genso A website based on the periodic table with Sam Frith
Jul. 2005 A Storm in a Teacup A digital collage with Sam Frith
Nov. 2002 Sexymachinery A publication with Åbäke and other contributors
Projects
Jul. 2017- Artist Talks Organiser A series of talks with artists in Tokyo
May 2015- Art Researcher A blog about contemporary art – Genso
May 2013- Art Reviewer A series of articles and reviews – Tokyo Art Beat
Selected Press
Feb. 2019 Artists’ Spotlight Aesthetica Magazine
May 2018 On Paper Metropolis Magazine
Sep. 2017 Volumes Design Collector Magazine
Employment
Apr. 2018- Adjunct Professor at Joshibi University of Art & Design
May 2013- Art Writer for Tokyo Art Beat, Genso, and Metropolis Magazine
2011-2018 Art & English Teacher at Shoto Junior High School, Shibuya, Tokyo
Education
Jul. 2015 An Introduction to Curating University of the Arts London
Jul. 1999 Fine Art (BA Hons) First Class University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Related Activities
Jul. 2017 Image consultant for Frieze A Brief History of the Future
Dec. 2015 Guest writer for Iki-mono Seven Finalists
Nov. 2015 Essay citation in Fram Kitagawa’s book Art Place Japan
Editorial
Jul. 2018 Convergence exhibition catalogue, Joshibi University of Art & Design
Sep. 2015 The World Goes Pop Annabel James’ review for Genso
Curation
Apr. 2004 Miniatures Sam Frith, Sky Gallery, Kumamoto, Japan
Collections
Jul. 1999 Artists’ Books Collection The British Library, London, UK
Associations
Art Byte Critique is a group of working artists interested in constructive dialogues about studio work and the discovery of new ideas and inspirations.
PoNJA-GenKon is a group of artists, researchers, and art historians specialising in Post-War Japanese Art or Gendai Bijutsu Kondankai.
