Originally from Italy, Foundation student Niccolo Binda has been exploring the art of wood cutting and assembly through his latest work for the Summer Show 2016. Niccolo has been living in southeast London for many years. Last year chose to join the Foundation Diploma Drawing pathway; he has been developing his practice around 3D structures, inspired by the works of American artist Jason ‘Revok’ Williams, UK artist Rhys Coren and French artist Pablo Tomek.
We asked Niccolo about the processes of his latest work for the Summer Show exhibition and his idea of ‘Painting as Lego’. He will be joining the BA Drawing course at Camberwell College of Arts this September.
Tell us about your final work for the Foundation Summer Show?
I’ve been working really hard to try and create a cohesive body of work for the first time. My art is a direct reflection of my everyday surroundings and the way in which I experience life. At the moment I’m working almost entirely in 3D and wood assemblage.
I’ve been experimenting with wood assemblages or ‘painting as lego’ and gestural painting and the contrast between the structured, ordered approach of assembling a painting in 3D and the freedom and movement of gestural strokes. My work also deals a lot with negative space. My final piece for foundation is called ‘Safe/The two of us’ and it is about how I connect with people on a one to one basis, and how much I value that.
Which process did you enjoyed most during your Foundation Diploma?
I used to work with wood when I was a lot younger and loved it, but for some reason I dropped it for a few years. Just before Foundation I used to enjoy making surrealist pencil drawings.
I’ve realised that I pretty much only use wood and paint at the moment. I am hoping to expand my practice more during the summer. I work quite intuitively so most of my ideas come from playing around and trying new compositions with old pieces and strange off-cuts. I spend a huge amount of time in 3D workshop and I have really enjoyed learning lots about working with wood. Each new idea I make is usually very clearly linked to the one before and I feel that I take a very concentrated look at each strand I follow.
Work by Niccolo Binda
What inspires you?
At the moment, my work is heavily influenced by the wood assemblage pieces I’ve seen from Jason ‘Revok’ Williams and Rhys Coren. I’ve been taking the stripped back and geometric approach from these two artist and I’ve been trying to mix it with the wild and free energy of Pablo Tomek and gestural work he does.
Work by: Pablo Tomek
I came across Jason Williams on Instagram, but I had never seen any in person until the ‘Venturing Beyond’ exhibition at Somerset House. I really connected with his pieces and took a lot from them for my latest work. I discovered Rhys Coren when I went to a show at Seventeen Gallery. I felt that his work had achieved a lot of what I would like to in the future. I’ve also had a lot of inspiration from the practicing artists teaching the Foundation drawing course at Camberwell!
Work by: Jason Williams aka REVOK
Any plans for the summer?
Over the summer I really intend to keep on making work. I’m planning to get a little table top band saw at home so I can keep exploring woodwork and other practices for the next four-five months. After that I’m going to study Fine Art Drawing at Camberwell as I want to be a full time artist!
See more of Niccolo’s work at the Foundation Diploma Summer Show exhibition from 9 -13 May 2016.
Related links: