Quick Facts
Biography
Nicholas James Gentry (born 29 May 1980) is a British artist from London. Much of his artistic output has been generated with the use of contributed artefacts and materials. He states that through this process "contributor, artist and viewer come closer together". His art is influenced by the development of consumerism, technology, identity and cyberculture in society, with a distinctive focus on obsolete media.
Drawing on recycled and obsolete technological materials as the grounds for his paintings, London-based artist Nick Gentry creates a conversation between digital and analog processes. Gentry constructs his painting supports out of materials such as film negatives, VHS cassettes, X-rays, and floppy disks. “These objects are no longer in the spotlight,” the artist has said of floppy disks, “but by placing them there for a second it becomes easier to comprehend the speed and extent of the changes that are taking place today.”Gentry often incorporates elements of these materials into his figures. The magnetic circles of floppy disks, for example, often serve as eyes in his portraits.
Such artistic works of social commentary have been featured in galleries in the UK, USA and in cities throughout the world. His work has been exhibited alongside established contemporary Young British Artists Mark Quinn, Damien Hirst, and Tracey Emin and also with notable street artists, such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Blek le Rat. As a result he has been linked with both the Contemporary art and Urban art scenes in London.
Early life
Nick Gentry was born in Hampstead, London and grew up in the nearby historic market city of St Albans. From an early age he spent much of his childhood drawing and sketching. He attended Parmiter's School in Garston, Hertfordshire and during a troubled time he came close to being expelled on numerous occasions. He continued to study art at Ridge Street Art School and the University of Hertfordshire. During this time he was inspired by a visit to the famous Sensation (art exhibition) at the Royal Academy of Art, signalling the arrival of the Young British Artists. He was later refused admission to Liverpool College of Art when he first applied, but attended the college after a subsequent successful application a year later. From there he progressed to successfully graduate from Central Saint Martins in London in 2006.
Works
Film Negative and X-ray Artworks
A series of portraits created from used film negatives and X-rays which have been contributed by members of the public. The negative selection process is based on tone and by layering the film he creates the contrast and shape of the faces. Gentry has also used X-rays for the darker tones, noticeably in the hair section of the images which are back lit with LED. The use of these materials alludes to a collective identity that can be viewed from both emotional and biological perspectives. He observes that "today we go to great lengths to create a digital identity in addition to the actual lives we live, with the belief that these online records are only growing in importance and will outlive us".
Floppy Disk Paintings
A series of Generation X portraits on canvases made from used computer disks, whose metal hub serves as the subject's profoundly un-humanlike eye. Adding to his haunting renderings are the handwritten labels, along with the disks' original blue, black, or grey colour contributing to the composite form. The disks are sourced entirely from public donation and this series represents Gentry's first foray into what has been described as 'social art'.
Sculptures and Public Displays
From 29 June until 6 September 2015 a specially commissioned sculptureby Gentry was publicly displayed in the Barbican Centre in London. Inspired by the Nucleic acid double helix form, a series of 21 giant sculptures were customised by artists and designers including Ai Weiwei and Zaha Hadid. The sculptures were auctioned at Christie's on 30 September 2015 to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and to help complete the construction of the Francis Crick Institute, a new biomedical research facility at London’s King’s Cross.
Street Artworks
Little is known about the street activity of Gentry. In earlier years before gallery representation the artist would often leave paintings in the streets for passers-by to pick up as gifts. This 'free art' practice draws comparison to the early activity of fellow London-based artist Adam Neate, challenging the notion of art as a commodity and its worth in society.
Career
In 2010 Gentry's first show took place in a small studio space in Soho, London at Studio55 Gallery. The show was titled Auto-Emotion and consisted of a series of floppy disk portraits. At the end of the year, Gentry took up a two month art residency at Pantocrator Gallery in Barcelona, Spain. The residency culminated in a solo exhibition and live performance by Petra Flurr and Lola Von Dage.
In 2011 Gentry had his first solo exhibition in the USA at Robert Fontaine Gallery in Miami. Later that year Gentry had a solo exhibition at Whisper Gallery in London, titled Dataface. Selfridges featured a pop-up show of Gentry's works, titled Artefacts. Members of the public were invited to donate their obsolete technology to contribute to future artworks by the artist.
In 2012 Gentry took part in a large scale urban art group show titled Urban Masters, in an East London warehouse. This was followed by a second solo show at Robert Fontaine Gallery titled Collective Memory.
In 2013 a group show titled The Many Faces of David Bowie took place at Opera Gallery in London, UK. Gentry created a replica of Bowie's red Fender guitar using original film negatives of David Bowie, although it remains unknown if the negatives were contributed by Bowie himself. This was followed by a third solo exhibition at Robert Fontaine Gallery in Miami. The show was titled X-Change, heavily featuring the film negative and x-ray works for the first time.
In 2014 Gentry appeared in the BBC Two documentary Making Art Work. Sitting in his studio surrounded by his artwork, Gentry explains how he re-uses outdated technology to create his artwork. He references inspiration by Marcel Duchamp and old footage of Duchamp’s work of a urinal is shown. He explains that Duchamp placed this object in a gallery and called it art, therefore artists should not be restricted by materials such as canvas but feel free to re-use materials. In November Gentry had a fourth solo exhibition at Robert Fontaine Gallery titled Synthetic Daydreams which consisted of works using 35mm film negatives. Gentry also took part in his first group show in New York at C24 Gallery. The show was titled YELL-O and also featured the work of Hellbent (J. Mikal Davis), Adele Mills and Ekaterina Panikanova. Gentry's work featured for the first time in Hong Kong at the group exhibition Urban Renewal at Opera Gallery alongside artists Seo Young-Deok, Olivier Dassault and Yves Krief.
In April 2015 Gentry had his first solo exhibition in Knokke, Belgium at Absolute Art Gallery. The show was titled Memoryscapes and featured a series of the lightbox film negative works. From 29 June until 6 September a specially commissioned sculpture by Gentry was publicly displayed in the Barbican Centre in London. The sculptures were auctioned at Christie's on 30 September 2015 to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and to help complete the construction of the Francis Crick Institute, a new biomedical research facility being built at London’s King’s Cross.
In the summer of 2016 Gentry had his debut New York solo show at C24 Gallery. The exhibit, which marked his debut with the gallery, explored human connectedness, remembrance and nostalgia within the unrelenting, digitally oversaturated world of the present. The works, which mostly feature ethereal humanlike subjects, are constructed from sourced materials made by donors from around the globe that piece together a psychologically compelling narrative of human solidarity. In November and December Gentry's work was exhibited alongside a selection of rare works by Young British Artists Mark Quinn, Damien Hirst, and Tracey Emin at Opera Gallery in London. The show, titled 'BritARTnia' also presented the work of internationally established artists such as Julian Opie of the New British Sculpture movement; celebrity photographer and recipient of the Royal Photographic Society's Centenary medal Terry O'Neill (photographer) and Royal Academician and Turner Prize nominee sculptor David Mach.
Critical responses
His paintings are at once archaeological and haunting... a social art project that turns form and function inside out. Sydney Edelist, Huffington Post.
Magical montages made from floppy disks and scans...brings new hi-tech humans to life. The Guardian.
Publications
Books by Nick Gentry
- Psychic Compound by Paul Laster and Nick Gentry, 2016
- Synthetic Daydreams by Nick Gentry, 2014
- Collective Memory by Nick Gentry, 2013
- Artefacts by Nick Gentry, 2011
- Obsolete by Nick Gentry, 2010
Books featuring Nick Gentry
- Artaq 2011, Editions Suty, 2011
- Artaq, Yves. Artaq 2011. Editions Suty. p. 159. ISBN 978-2-9534253-2-1.