Mr Tom Nicholson - Researcher Profile

Biography

Tom Nicholson (b 1973) is an artist who lives in Melbourne and a Lecturer in Drawing in the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture at Monash University.

He has worked with archival material and the visual languages of politics, often using public actions and focussing on the relationship between actions and their traces. He has also made a series of works engaging aspects of Australia’s early colonial history, using combinations of drawings, monumental forms, and posters to articulate these histories in relation to the present, as part of an address to our collective future.

His recent work has been shown in the 2012 Adelaide Biennale, Parallel Collisions; the exhibition Marking Time at the MCA, Sydney, 2012; Second world, curated by WHW, at Galeria Nova in Zagreb and as part of the 2011 Steirischer Herbst in Graz, Austria; in the 2010 Shanghai Biennale; the 4th Auckland Triennial, Last Ride in a Hot Air Balloon, 2010; To the arts, citizens! at the Serralves Museum, Porto, 2010; and Animism, at Extra City and MUHKA, Antwerp, 2010. Other works addressing the possibilities of a new kind of monument or public art-making have been exhibited in Since we last spoke about monuments, at Stroom Den Haag in 2008; Zones of Contact, the 2006 Sydney Biennale; at Platform in Berlin in 2006; in the exhibition Transversa at Galeria Metropolitana in Santiago, Chile in 2006; and in the finalists exhibition of the Melbourne Prize in 2005, 2008 and 2011.

Camp Pell Lecture, his collaboration with the writer and historian Tony Birch, was shown at Artspace in Sydney in 2010, and was the primary outcome from his State Library Creative Fellowship in 2007. His on-going collaboration with the NY-based composer Andrew Byrne has been performed in Shanghai in 2010, in Venice by the Italian contemporary music ensemble L’Arsenale in 2009, in Bath in 2008 and in Melbourne in 2006.

He has held solo exhibitions nationally and internationally, and is represented by Milani Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.

His work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the State Library of Victoria, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and the Monash University Museum of Art, as well as private collections in Australia and internationally.

Related Links:

• Tom Nicholson's website

Qualifications

FINE ARTS

Institution: Melbourne University

Year awarded: 2007

BACHELOR OF FINE ART

Institution: Victorian College of the Arts

Year awarded: 1999

BACHELOR OF ARTS (HONOURS)

Institution: Melbourne University

Year awarded: 1995

Publications

Books

Nicholson, T., Svenungsson, J., 2011, Forms for a Public Address, Surpllus Pty Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia.

Nicholson, T., 2009, Monument for the Flooding of Royal Park, Schwartz City, Melbourne, Vic.

Book Chapters

Nicholson, T., 2007, Blackboards, sounding boards, in Imagination, Inspiration, Intuition, eds Allison Holland, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic, pp. 71-83.

Nicholson, T., 2005, Upstairs, a Bike, a Horse, in A short ride in a fast machine, eds Charlotte Day, Black Ink Press, Melbourne, Vic, pp. 196-199.

Nicholson, T., 2004, West Space, east space, civic space, in Formation and form: Westspace 1993-2003, eds Brett Jones, West Space Inc., Melbourne, Vic, pp. 116-123.

Journal Articles

Nicholson, T., 2007, Walks and Transmissions, Artlink, vol 27, issue 2, Artlink Australia, Adelaide, SA, pp. 44-45.

Nicholson, T., 2002, Watching this space, Meanjin, vol 61, issue 3, Meanjin Company Ltd, Melbourne, Vic, pp. 211-219.

Other

Nicholson, T., 2011, After action for 2pm Sunday 6 July 1835 (2005-2011), Galerija Nova, Steirischer Herbst, Zagreb, Croatia, 15 September to 19 November 2011.

Nicholson, T., 2011, Drawings and correspondence, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, 15 August to 24 September 2011.

Nicholson, T., Byrne, A., 2011, Lines towards another century (7 voices), Indefinite participatory action of reading aloud from seven stacks of texts, and a vinyl wall text, Murmansk Art Museum, Russia.

Nicholson, T., Byrne, A., 2011, Monument for the flooding of Royal Park, Steirischer Herbst, Sackstrasse Graz, Austria, Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria, 23 September to 16 October 2011.

Nicholson, T., 2011, Monument for the flooding of Royal Park 2008-2011, Steirischer Herbst, Sackstrasse Graz, Austria, Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria, 23 September to 16 October 2011.

Nicholson, T., 2011, Unfinished monument to Batman's Treaty. 2011-, Federation Square, Melbourne Prize Trust, Melbourne, Australia, 19 September to 19 November 2011.

Nicholson, T., Birch, T., 2010, Camp Pell Lecture, Artspace, Woolloomooloo, NSW, Artspace, Woolloomooloo, NSW, 29 January to 27 February 2010.

Nicholson, T., 2010, Drawings and Correspondence, Extra City; Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp (M HKA), Extra City and Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp (M HKA), Antwerp, Belgium, 22 January to 2 May 2010.

Nicholson, T., 2010, Indefinite Distribution, Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Serralves, Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Serralves, Porto, Portugal, 20 November 2010 to 13 March 2011.

Nicholson, T., Byrne, A., 2010, Lines Towards Another Century (127 Days), Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai Fine Arts Publishers, Shanghai, China, 24 October 2010 to 23 January 2011.

Nicholson, T., 2010, Marat at his Last Breath, Catalogue text for 'Kent state: four decades later', University Art Gallery, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.

Nicholson, T., 2010, Music for an Imaginary Launch, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Auckland, NZ, 12 March to 20 June 2010.

Nicholson, T., 2010, Nardoo Flag Wave, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Auckland, NZ, 12 March to 20 June 2010.

Nicholson, T., Birch, T., 2010, The Ngamajet, Australian Experimental Art Foundation, Australian Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide, SA, 28 May to 26 June 2010.

Bird, T., Nicholson, T., 2010, This Conversation, Catalogue essay for Bianca Hester: Please leave the windows open overnight to enable to fans to draw in cool air during the early hours of the morning, ACCA, Melbourne, VIC, pp. 79-81.

Bird, T., Nicholson, T., 2010, This conversation, Catalogue essay for Bianca Hester exhibition: 'Please Leave These Windows Open Overnight to Enable the Fans to Draw in Cool Air During the Early Hours of the Morning', Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Southbank, Vic, pp. 79-81.

Nicholson, T., 2009, Archive/Counter-Archive, Talk, Contemporary Art and the Archive Research Group (CARGO), Monash University Prato Centre, Prato, Italy.

Nicholson, T., Byrne, A., 2009, Lines Towards Another Century, Tom Nicholson; Andrew Byrne, 40 mins, 6 June 2009, Parco delle Rimembranze, St Elena, Venice, Italy.

Nicholson, T., 2009, Pixels, Shale, Stories: Dominic Redfern's 'Stonewall', Catalogue essay, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth, WA, pp. 2-4.

Nicholson, T., Ishak, R., 2009, Proposition for a Banner March and Black Cube Hot Air Balloon, Ocular Lab, Anstey & Ashton, Nikos' Rear Entrance, 135 Union Street; Brunswick, Vic, OWS Collective, Melbourne, Vic, 21 to 22 March 2009; 28 to 29 March 2009; 4 to 5 April 2009; 11 to 12 April 2009.

Nicholson, T., 2009, Untitled Wall Drawing, Pencil wall drawing, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Sydney, NSW.

Nicholson, T., 2008, Blackboards, sounding boards, Catalogue Essay, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic, pp. 71-83.

Nicholson, T., 2008, LINES TOWARD ANOTHER CENTURY, The Holburne Museum, Media Art Bath, Bath, United Kingdom, 24 June to 6 July.

Nicholson, T., 2008, Monument for the flooding of Royal Park, Federation Square, Melbourne Prize Trust, Melbourne, Vic, 10-24 November.

Nicholson, T., 2008, Since we last spoke about monuments, Stroom den Haag, Stroom den Haag, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 14 September to 9 November.

Nicholson, T., 2007, Action for another library, Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, Auckland, New Zealand, 15 September 2007 - 10 February 2008.

Capurro, C.M., Nicholson, T., Parks, T., Engqvist, J., 2007, Another Misspent Portrait of Etienne de Silhouette, la Biennale di Venezi, Venice Biennale, Arsenale (A series of off site events), Venice, Italy, 11 - 17 June.

Nicholson, T., 2007, Documents from a banner marching project, Ocular Lab Inc, Melbourne, Vic, 2-11 March 2006, 2-11 March 2006.

Nicholson, T., 2007, Documents from a banner marching project 2004-2007, Ocular Lab Inc, Ocular Lab Inc, Melbourne, Vic, March 2007.

Nicholson, T., 2007, Regarding Fear and Hope, Monash University Museum of Art and Monash Faculty Gallery, Melbourne, Vic, 5 - 28 July and 4 - 25 August.

Nicholson, T., 2007, system error: war is a force that gives us meaning, Centro Arte Contemporanea Palazzo delle Papesse, Siena, Italy, 3 February - 6 May.

Nicholson, T., 2006, After action for another library / Zones of Contact, Anna Schwartz Gallery / 15th Biennale of Sydney, Melbourne, Vic / Sydney, NSW, 1-30 September / 7 June-27 August.

Nicholson, T., 2006, Endgame: late-capitalist Realism, VCA Gallery, Melbourne, Vic, 14 September - 9 October.

Nicholson, T., 2006, Flag Time: Marat at his last breath, Ocular Lab, Melbourne, Vic, January.

Nicholson, T., 2006, Ghosts of self and state, Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne, Vic, 5 April - 10 June.

Nicholson, T., 2006, Raafat Ishak, Exhibition catalogue, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia.

Nicholson, T., 2006, Remembering New Eternal Cities: Ricky Swallow's Field Recording (Highland Park Hydra), This Time Another Year, Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy.

Nicholson, T., 2006, The co-ordinated action, Biennale of Sydney Symposium, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.

Nicholson, T., 2006, Traces towards four Coranderrk drawings in a Berlin store-room, Plattform, Berlin, October, Berlin.

Nicholson, T., 2006, Transversa, Museum of Contemporary Art and Galeria Metropolitana, Santiago, Chile, October.

Nicholson, T., 2006, Trinity Nine, Ocular Lab project at Trinity College, Melbourne, Vic, 8-27 August.

Nicholson, T., 2005, Course, Ocular Lab, Melbourne, Vic, 29-31 July.

Nicholson, T., 2005, From Space to Place, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Perth, Western Australia, 31 March - 8 May.

Nicholson, T., 2005, Ocular Lab: 12, Spacement, Melbourne, Vic, 19 April - 7 May.

Nicholson, T., 2005, Re/thinking, Bus Gallery, Melbourne, Vic, 4 October - 22 October.

Nicholson, T., 2005, The Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture, Federation Square, Melbourne, Vic, 9-20 November.

Nicholson, T., 2005, The body / The ruin, The Ian Potter Museum of Art / University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, 5 November - 22 January.

Nicholson, T., 2004, 22.06.1911/30.10.2004:Documents after marching season, IASKA (The Aurora Project), Regent Theatre, Kellerberrin, 6 November.

Nicholson, T., Ishak, R., 2004, Australian Culture Now, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic, June - August.

Nicholson, T., 2004, NEW04, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Vic, 23 March - 19 May.

Nicholson, T., 2004, Performance Anxiety, Ocular Lab, Melbourne, Vic, February.

Nicholson, T., 2003, After action for another library, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany (Also at Monash University Museum of Art, 19 March-10 May), 28 August - 3 October.

Nicholson, T., 2003, Anarchist Salon (with David Corbet), Ocular Lab, Melbourne, Vic, 1 April.

Nicholson, T., 2003, Curiosity kills the gab, Artspace, Auckland, New Zealand.

Nicholson, T., 2003, Fragments from an archive into five actions, West Space, Melbourne, Vic (First exhibited as studio exhibition in Berlin 16-23 November 2002), 21 February - 8 March.

Nicholson, T., 2003, Melancholia (Documents after five actions, Berlin), Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne, Vic (First exhibited at Kepelle der Versohnung, Berlin 8-22 November 2002), 7 February - 1 March.

Nicholson, T., 2003, Stills from an archive into five actions, Australian Centre, Berlin, Germany, 3-30 September.

Nicholson, T., 2003, Video Loop: Actions, Performance Space, Sydney, New South Wales, July.

Nicholson, T., 2002, Response, Exhibition catalogue, Indianpolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

Nicholson, T., 2002, Writing about cutting, Exhibition catalogue, Wilhelm Fabry Museum, Hilden, Germany.

Nicholson, T., 2001, After action against book burning (Two fragments for a disused Stasi Office), Studio exhibition, Berlin, 13-19 September.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Supervisors:

Garrett, S (Joint), Nicholson, T (Joint-co).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Half a proposition for a banner march and a black cube hot air ballooon..

Supervisors:

Heng, E (Main), Nicholson, T (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

How to make a monument.

Supervisors:

Nicholson, T (Main).

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Identity.

Supervisors:

Nicholson, T (Main).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Image, narrative & landscape. Reinstating Palestinian cartography through Palestinian voice.

Supervisors:

Nicholson, T (Main).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Participation and Speech in Contemporary Art.

Supervisors:

Nicholson, T (Main).

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Reading the colonial archive through the past and present : a bi-national artist's exploration..

Supervisors:

Nicholson, T (Main).

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Repetition, Reinvention, Rhythm and Narrative in Video Installation.

Supervisors:

Nicholson, T (Main).

Completed Supervision

Student:

Albada, D.

Program of Study:

Audience Engagement in Multisensory Artworks. (Masters) 2010.

Supervisors:

Nicholson, T (Main).

Student:

Carrington, N.

Program of Study:

Traversing correctional space: the tensions between justice, ethics and aesthetics. (PHD) 2012.

Supervisors:

Nicholson, T (Main).

Student:

Hibberd, L.

Program of Study:

Border crossings: writing, confinement and the voice. (PHD) 2009.

Supervisors:

Nicholson, T (Main).