Constantine Nicholas

Constantine Nicholas (HatziYiannakis) was born in Perth, Western Australia and currently lives in Sydney. He is a 3rd generation Greek Australian. His ancestry is from the isle of Kastellorizo where his grandparents and many others migrated in the early 1900s escaping foreign occupations, and seeking a new life in Australia. Most landed in Fremantle, and other parts of Australia and stayed. Nicholas has always questioned his identity which has been an ongoing theme in his work. He creates rich and layered works, installations and digital projects. His work offers fragments of text and imagery, citing colonial, aboriginal and commercial references which the artist uses to question his Australian identity. “An ongoing theme in my work is to use historical journals (other’s truth), maps and illustrations to present a ‘point of view’.
His latest paintings, drawings and digital works harken back to very early works, which focus on experimenting with light and form and the use of materials like foam, pigment and sandpaper. Visit constantinenicholas.com

Nicholas is represented in public and private collections in AUS, NZ, APAC, US, EMEA. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Art (visual) from Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma of Professional Art studies, University of NSW. He has held 30 solo exhibitions and participated in over 50 group exhibitions. His works have been exhibited nationally and internationally and can be found in many notable art collections – including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Australian National University, Kerry Stokes Collection and BHP Billiton. Many of his works have been selected for major art prizes including the Moet & Chandon Prize touring exhibition and the Sulman Art Prize. His awards include the Australia Council’s, New York SoHo studio residency, and the Gunnery Studio in Sydney. His digital works are held by collectors globally.
Major commissions include the millennium mural for Kerry Stokes’ office in Sydney, and Suntec City Towers 3 & 4, Singapore. The artist was born in Perth, Western Australia and lives in Sydney.

MORE ON RECENT WORKS

“Exploring material forms takes me to the edge of what is real and what is abstract. I have this inspiration to push the extremes of materials, their density of lightness and darkness. I just work with what I have at hand, layering and removing until I get to that feeling of completion.
These works can take form in many ways, influenced by how I connect with materials at hand. But overall I work with the material to imply a causation or physical change. A line can take on a form that attacks the composition to a smear of pigment that can obliterate and smother a surface. These elements, the materials and tools that I use change the intent and meaning of the work and its reality.
More recently I am conscious of my critical judgement at the final stages of a work, not to correct or balance a work formally. I scratch, scrape, rub and drag materials to disrupt the surface, allowing the materials to randomly complete the process.”

Nicholas has participated in more than 70 exhibitions in ANZ, APAC and USA.
Represented in Public and Private Collections in AUS, NZ, APAC, US, EMEA.

News & Media

Exploring Identity Through Art, 7 June 2024, The Greek Herald