Nick Nowicki's work is often about huddles of strangers, exchanging titbits of information in order to sustain relationships through shared dialogue or activity. An atmosphere of unease runs throughout these groupings, as he presents the paranoia and vulnerability of the everyday. In Limbo, 2011, he explores the neuroses of exposure that invade every moment of modern life from the commute to the cigarette break. In The Dilly Line, 2011, the distortion of the figures hints at humiliation and the struggle to keep a sense of individuality or, conversely, the unexpected thrill and power of unity.
The images are inspired by the ramshackle parade of perceptions of daily life, internalised and stripped down through a considered process of refining and editing into highly personal, psychologically revealing drawings in paint. The surface he favours is left raw to increase the sense of disclosure and make it impossible to erase the strokes he is unwilling to accept.
