Nick Smith is a contemporary artist based in London. With a previous career in Interior Design spanning 11 years, Smith references his concept design background throughout his work. He reworks the design aesthetic using unique colour swatches in hand-made collages, placing his work firmly in the fine art category.

From his first collage experiment in 2011 of Warhol’s ‘Marilyn’, he assembled a tessellation of swatches as a challenge. This eventually inspired his career as an artist and determined the unique style he is now known for.

The multi-layered element of his work, combining image and word, allows Smith to explore complex art-historical concepts. The text is often narrative, referring to Greek mythology or classical literature. It can be read sequentially, adding another element of intrigue and interest to the work.

This additional element of text, placed under the empty space of each swatch, creates either complementary or subversive meanings. Nick deliberately leaves these word/image constructions open to viewers' interpretation, sparking new debates and meanings.