Nick Veasey is a man who sees the world in X-ray vision. Stripping away the layers of everyday life to reveal an often-surprising beauty, his cutting-edge fusion of art and science will transport you to a dimension otherwise hidden and unseen.
NICK
FOREWORD
Nick Veasey is a man who sees the world in X-ray vision. Stripping away the layers of everyday life to reveal an often-surprising beauty, his cutting-edge fusion of art and science shows humanity in a very different light. Invisible to the human eye, high-energy electromagnetic radiation is a dangerous but ethereal medium. Nick’s lyrical imagery is created using machines used for medicine and industrial radiography. Nestled in a lead- lined chamber in the Kent countryside, he penetrates the surface to take viewers on a journey to a dimension otherwise hidden and unseen. In a process he likens to “putting together a jigsaw”, Nick dismantles objects and places them on a lead surface with film behind it. The X-rays pass through the subject, with dense areas absorbing the most radiation and appearing brighter onscreen. To combat the lethal levels of radiation, Nick wears a lead apron and controls the exposure time in a separate room. His skeleton figure is clad in a pressurised rubber suit and is also used in a teaching hospital. Unlike medical X-rays, which typically use around 100 kilovolts and last 0.2 seconds, Nick’s command an impressive 200 kilovolts and can take up to 20 minutes. Once this is complete, the film is processed and scanned before he digitally layers the images to create a startling 3D effect. A motorcycle comprises around 60 X-rays, while a car uses 500!
Nick says: “I like showing the insides of things and how they work. X-ray is a discovery; it’s like a forensic investigation into the subject, showing what it’s really made of. We live in a world obsessed with image… what we look like, what our clothes look like, houses, cars. I like to counter this obsession with superficial appearances by using X-rays to strip back the layers and show what it is like under the surface.” Transcending the classification of photography, Nick’s work has catapulted him to the forefront of the art world. Along with working with prestigious brands like Porsche, BMW, Levi’s and Nike, he has exhibited worldwide and featured in publications including National Geographic , Wired and the Independent . He also appeared on television for the BBC, NBC and Discovery Channel. Another layer to Nick’s haunting imagery is its exploration of surveillance society. He adds: “Take a flight or go into a high-profile courtroom and your belongings will be X-rayed. Security cameras track our every move and mobile phone receptions place us at any given time. To create art with the equipment and technology designed to help Big Brother remove freedom and individuality brings a smile to my face. “My art is something people can connect with. It’s real, it’s not hypothetical and complicated – it’s instant. You can see how things connect and tell a story. It’s like you’ve blinked and the world has tipped into X-ray.”
MATCHLESS RIDER (LARGE BLACK) / MATCHLESS RIDER (LARGE PINK)
Flatbed Giclée Print on Waterford 640gsm Paper / Framed 162cm x 112cm / £1,950 / Edition of 75
MATCHLESS RIDER (STANDARD BLACK) / MATCHLESS RIDER (STANDARD PINK)
Flatbed Giclée Print on Somerset 410gsm Paper / Framed 115cm x 80cm / £1,250 / Edition of 150
‘MOST ARTISTS CLAIM TO DELVE BENEATH THE
SURFACE OF THEIR SUBJECTS. BUT FEW HAVE GOT TO THE CORE OF OUR BEING IN QUITE THE WAY THAT NICK VEASEY HAS MANAGED.’
Patrick Sawer, The Sunday Telegraph
CALIFORNIA BUG (LARGE BLACK) / CALIFORNIA BUG (LARGE PINK)
Flatbed Giclée Print on Waterford 640gsm Paper / Framed 162cm x 112cm / £1,950 / Edition of 75
CALIFORNIA BUG (STANDARD BLACK) / CALIFORNIA BUG (STANDARD PINK)
Flatbed Giclée Print on Somerset 410gsm Paper / Framed 115cm x 80cm / £1,250 / Edition of 150
BIOGRAPHY
BORN London (1962)
EXHIBITIONS V&A Museum, Seoul Arts Centre, Fotografiska, Espace La Vallée
AWARDS Px3 (Prix de la Photographie), Graphis, AOP (The Association of Photographers), Applied Arts, IPA Lucie Award (nomination) Self-taught and unapologetically experimentative, Nick possesses an innate curiosity and a natural eye for striking imagery. During his childhood, he became fascinated by the intricacies of nature, examining rocks, plants and insects. A teenage passion for photography ultimately led to a career in the advertising and design industries. As a struggling freelance photographer, he was asked by his then-girlfriend, a designer for the TV show The Big Breakfast , to X-ray a Pepsi can. The resulting image sparked an idea that he has explored for over 25 years. Inspired by the floral radiographs of the photographer and dental scientist Albert G. Richards, Nick has X-rayed everything from Christmas trees to the fashion designs of Alexander McQueen. Most famously, he created a life-size rendition of a Boeing 777 jet airliner using over 1000 separate X-rays, which subsequently featured on the side of a hangar for United Airlines. His award-winning photography has been exhibited as far as Taiwan and South Korea. In 2017, his solo Inside Out exhibition was held in Sweden at Fotografiska, one of the world’s largest meeting spaces for contemporary photography. Nick gave a private tour to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden. Nick’s work is held in the permanent collections of prestigious establishments including the National Museum of Science and Technology (Italy), the National Science and Media Museum (UK) and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art (USA). He has also released a hardback book, titled X-Ray: See Through the World Around You .
NICK
The images contained within this literature are an artistic representation of the collection. To best experience our art, we recommend you contact your local gallery to arrange a viewing. © Washington Green 2019. The content of this brochure is subject to copyright and no part can be reproduced without prior permission. washingtongreen.co.uk
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