Niklas Holm

View all images

Art Star No.8. UNTITLED, 2010. Polyurethane foam, ink, acrylic paint and marker on denim.

The glossy world of Manga, pop-culture and the Japanese blurrings of high and low art – all these influence Swedish artist Niklas Holm. Born in 1979, with a Masters in Fine Art from the Royal Art Academy, Stockholm, Holm paints vivid, abstract acrylics, then uses them as the basis to create digital images, in an about-turn from most young artists working with computer imagery.

Questions & Answers

" What kind of art do you make?"

I’m a painter, interested in developing abstract painterly language and making it relevant to the contemporary.

" Where can I see it?"

At Natalia Goldin Gallery, Stockholm, and an upcoming larger exhibition at Färgfabriken here in Stockholm in Fall 2010, together with Susann Brännström.

" How do you feel about Polo Jeans Co.'s ART STARS project?"

It was fun, and challenged me to explore new materials. I took a huge risk with my star, but that is what made it fun.

" Describe your finished ART STAR in a sentence?"

Ambiguous – some parts imply a sweet, almost cloying world, yet the palette and veils of melted paint might evoke dissolution and decay.

" What did you think when it first arrived at your studio?"

Cute!

"You were asked to use the Stars and Stripes for inspiration. How did you incorporate it into your star?"

I chose a number of elements (colour, shapes etc) that I decided would work for me.

" What else inspired you?"

Good art, from artists who are not afraid to take risks. They might fail or make a masterpiece. Either way, at least they tried. For me safe is boring, and bad art.

" How did you find working with denim?"

I usually work on canvas, so this was very similar, only here it was coloured dark blue.

" What processes did you use to create your piece?"

Careful planning. I had to make sure that there would be time left for over if something went wrong and I needed to correct it.

" What are you most proud of about the result?"

The melting aspect of the star. I’ve never created anything like that before, and I’m glad it turned out so well.

" Describe your denim style;"

Preppy meets baggy, worn-down jeans, or vice versa. I like contrasts.

" Who else's star are you most looking forward to seeing and why?"

Alexone’s. I like street art and graffiti: for me, it´s the best example of post-modernistic painting. It´s going to be interesting to see how he’ll interpret this project.

Profile

  • Name: Niklas Holm
  • Location: Stockholm, Sweden
View website

Exhibitions

Location: MAGASIN-DU-NORD, KONGENS NYTORV, Denmark

Dates: March 29th – April 12th

View exhibition

Polo Jeans Co. Ralph Lauren Art Stars

Polo Jeans Co. Ralph Lauren Art Stars

In January 2010, Polo Jeans Co. Ralph Lauren commissioned over 40 of Europe’s most exciting young contemporary artists to customise stars made from the finest American denim.

With the iconic Stars and Stripes flag for inspiration, each young artist was tasked with creating something totally unique: beyond the shapes and sizes of the Art Stars, the only limit was their imaginations...

Each Art Star will appear in a Polo Jeans Co. store, before joining a public exhibition in London in late 2010.

Contemporary art and fashion aficionados will have the opportunity to own one of these exclusive Art Stars.

All the stars created will be brought together in a public exhibition in London in late 2010 and auctioned in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust.

Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of young people with cancer between the ages of 13-24.

Teenagers don’t stop being teenagers because they have cancer, which is why Teenage Cancer Trust builds specialist units in NHS hospitals, staffed by teenage cancer specialists.

These units are designed for and by young people and aim to give teenage cancer patients the very best chance of a positive outcome whilst being as close as possible to normal life.

State-of-the-art facilities keep patients occupied during long, and often grueling stays, whilst bringing teenagers with cancer together so they can support each other.

Visit www.teenagecancertrust.org to find out more.

Email Sign Up

I want to receive: