Nashīnasu
Biography
I am Nashīnasu, a multidisciplinary artist based in England using my paints and graphite to create intriguing reimagining’s of our world. An artistic style that integrates the historical greats of animation, surrealism, and gestural painting my works of art border between the real and the abstract.
My journey to becoming an artist began as a child. At a young age, I discovered a love of animation, especially the greats like Studio Ghibli and Disney. I began drawing and creating my own worlds of escape. The act of creation became a cathartic space that continues to elevate my mood to this day. My talents began to be recognized by my secondary school teachers at Wallington Boys School who encouraged me to develop my own distinctive artistic practice. I dove deeper into understanding art, developing a fascination with individuals such as Stephen Wiltshire and Salvador Dali.
As my practice grew, I took elements from these foundational influences and combined them with my love of music, anime, and Japanese culture. I went on to receive a Level 2 Diploma in Art & Design from Nescot College and graduate from The Art Academy, London Bridge with a Fine Art diploma and completed their Postgraduate Programme. Today, my work coalesces my past experiences, my love for music and film, and the historical artists and designers who came before as I create cinematic works that challenge us to change our perspectives.
While I continue to grow my practice, my work has already been recognized internationally from the United Kingdom to the United States as well as Japan and South Korea. I have been included in numerous group and solo exhibitions with more on the horizon, I was the runner-up at The Art Academy for the Drawing Prize, and have had my art added to local private collections.
Artist Statement
Rooted in storytelling, my practice emerges through works that recollect past experiences, iconic images of popular culture that transcend time, and even abstracted formulations of our intangible emotions. While a multidisciplinary artist, working with everything from pastels to photography, my practice centers around my acrylic and oil paintings as well as my use of graphite pencil. Placing these mediums upon a range of materials including canvas, medium-density fibreboard (MDF), and paper, I investigate the world around us.
The distinctive style of my practice is the culmination of my love of anime, manga, Disney, Studio Ghibli, and Japanese culture. Artists such as Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Hiroyuki Morita, Salvador Dali, and Stephen Wiltshire have all imprinted their innovative styles and perspectives onto me as I developed my own illustrative practice that borders between reality and the absurd. Manipulations of color and space reveal vignettes and theatrical glows of light bordering on the cinematic. From my mediums radiates an invisible force beyond our control, unknown yet inspiring hope, though my use of gestural brushstrokes evokes a sense of ceaseless movement and change.
My work is an evolution. Each piece is a reflection of myself, an almost autobiographical account of the influx of influences, passions, and interests that resonate with me. In my early works, I adapted an abstracted surrealist style of landscape and still life that today has branched out into experimentations with evocative portraiture and scenes of the everyday. Through this growth, I constructed my signature approach to elevating these scenes with what I refer to as light particles. Inspired by the work of Yayoi Kusama, I delicately insert light particles that heighten the drama and emotional atmosphere. Contrasts of light and dark, emphasized plays of shadows and illumination, obscure our perceptions leaving distinctions vague and open for interpretation. In a body of works teetering between the real and the ethereal, I ask us to question the mysteries of existence, the world, and ourselves.
What’s your background?
I am a Nashīnasu, Professional Multidisciplinary Fine Artist for over a decade.
I consider myself an Abstract Surrealist Fine Artist. My studio practice is inspired by Yayoi Kusama, Hayao Miyazaki, Stephen Wiltshire, Toshio Suzuki, Salvador Dali and Hiroyuki Morita.
Not only that, I am an influencer, content creator, musician and model (Which you can view from my personal brand website).
What does it mean to you to win the Collectors Art Prize?
It feels great. To be honest, I never thought that I would win the Collector’s Art Prize. It is a great achievement for me to win such a prestigious award.
Putting my name on the map has been very tough for me since the art world is very competitive and it has been extremely hard to sell my works. Hopefully, this will be a turning point for me and I hope that it will put my name on the map and I can sell my artworks and receive opportunities.
I am hoping to inspire more people with learning difficulties around the world, especially since I have autism.
What do you think is the role of art in the world today?
There are a lot of roles in the world of art. In my position, I concentrate on making an autobiographical account of the influx of influences, passions and interests that resonates with me.
I definitely would like to tell a story that would make the audience feel like they had one of those moments too so they can relate. My recent works have this sense of a surreal dreamy atmosphere. The contrast of light and dark, light particles helps heighten the drama in the artworks.
My unique style in my studio practice is my love of Anime, Manga, Disney, Studio Ghibli and Japanese culture. Inspired by artists including Hayao Miyazaki, Yayoi Kusama, and Salvador Dali, I can create that atmosphere.
My artwork tends to make the audience think about what kind of atmosphere they feel when they are in when they daydream. What do they see, and what emotions are they seeing?
The added manipulations of surrealism, cumulating with the colour and space reveal vignettes and theatrical glow light bordering on the cinematic to add the dramatic atmosphere to each piece. I can produce that atmosphere by adding emotional depth to the artwork with light particles, vignettes and glowy effects.
That is my role in the world of art today.
What would it be if you could change one thing about the art world?
That is a good question. There are some things that I would to change but here are 3 things, in particular, I would like to change:
1. I would say make it easier to find more art buyers and art collectors in any district because it is hard to find the right people in the district. The art world is very competitive so it is very hard to compete in it because there are so many art styles around the world. Even if you have your niche and your style, you will still find it very hard to find the right buyers/collectors to purchase your artwork. I have tons of my artwork that are waiting to go to their new home so it has been very frustrating for me.
So, finding the buyers/collectors on any platform with their contact details, especially the ones in your niche and your local area would help the artists a lot more to strive as an artist rather than survive as an artist.
2. Another thing that I would change about the art world is having a lot less chance of artists being scammed by fraudsters. There is a lot of that going on lately, especially in NFTs. A reason why I am not sure about starting to make the NFTs of my works as of now is that I am unsure if my works will be safe from fraudsters.
3. I wish that people don’t use works from artists to use for their projects without the artist's consent and do not credit them. Let the artist know and then get the artist’s permission. It is just disrespectful. One of the artists that I have been following on Instagram for a long time, I won’t mention the person’s name, that person’s artwork has been seen on bedding, clothes, wallpapers, etc, which is out of control.
Something needs to be done about that situation, to have a lot less of that happening.
What are your most significant professional achievements?
I would probably say winning the Collector’s Art Prize is my most significant professional achievement at the moment and I hope to make more professional achievements in the future. There are so many talented artists around the world including the people who took part in the Tokyo Tower Art Fair this year. My other achievements include:
Art: 2011 Drawing Prize Winner at Secondary School.
2011: Jack Petchey Award for Outstanding Achiever
2012: A Special Tribute Award
2015: Drawing Prize Runner-Up
Grade 2 and 3 Piano exams
Some of my artworks have been seen by some very unexpected celebrities. Some of them include Autistic Artist Stephen Wiltshire and French actress and artist Loan Chabanol.
On my personal brand: I have been featured in numerous publications in America with my personal brand as an influencer, which you can view from my personal brand website, _nathandownie_ on Instagram.
What do you wish to tell viewers about your work that might not come out explicitly?
What do you hope to inspire with your artwork?
I want the audience to do this when they see my work, I want them to imagine what kind of dream they are dreaming about because a lot of people daydream about a lot of things and think about where they are. I daydream a lot and especially when I was working and I keep imagining that I’m in that cinematic moment, like in a film, show, documentary, etc.
Most of my inspiration comes from Anime and Disney films because I grew up with them from a very young age. Some of the scenes in Anime and Disney Films have that glowy, dreamy look to them. After watching the scenes, I tend to imagine that I am in those moments like I’m in those scenes, and then a moment later, I feel like I turned into an actor, being in that scene.
I started using light particles which are influenced by Yayoi Kusama’s polka dots signature style, to add that extra drama to it.
Think of what type of emotion that emotion needs to come to you. I feel like you need the inspiration to start with. One of my paintings, Overnight Therapy, deals with while you are daydreaming, no unsettling moments passing by, everything is at ease.
What I would like to achieve with my work is to influence the audience by making them think about what they dream about sometimes. Something personal, a long-term goal, or something completely out of the ordinary.
What advice would you give to the upcoming generation of artists?
This is just my opinion, I am not saying that I am right about it.
My advice to upcoming generations of artists is to express their emotions when they are making artwork and give the artwork a story because it makes it more interesting, and get the audience talking. If the artwork has no story or any meaning behind it, it wouldn’t be interesting. Give the audience something to talk about. Find inspiration to start from. This is just what I was taught at art school, several years ago and it has improved my artwork more. Again, this is just my opinion only.
In what direction would you like to see your career go in the next five years?
There are so many things that I want to do in the future, it's like a bucket list that doesn't end. Not only continue with my fine art career: model, music, film, entrepreneurship industry and do some philanthropy work. I have done a lot of ambitious things in the past and I would like to try and keep it like that.
I am hoping to do a lot of collaborations with lots of different people and different brands.
I want to have my gallery one day.
Have a bigger studio to work in due to the limited and small amount of space that I currently work in at the moment.
I want to work on different surfaces. I don’t want to only work on canvases and papers. I would like to work on more different surfaces like cars, interiors, houses, clothing, etc
Have a long-term career in acting, modelling, entrepreneurship, music and fine art. (Acting, Fine Art and Music in particular.) And do some philanthropy along the way.
Outside of art: I would like to be in the acting industry and do music in the music industry as I miss doing music.
I am hoping to be represented by a talent agency, the right representation for me. To help me to get to where I would like to be. I know it is very hard work to get there but I want to do that and I will continue to work hard to get to where I want to be.
I am a very ambitious person who likes to do a lot of things.
I am hoping to be an ambassador for both causes and for different brands.
One of my very ambitious tasks for me is to be featured in the Forbes 30 under 30 achievement. Even though I only have 2 years left to achieve that accolade, I really want to achieve that feat. That is one of my must need goals. Seeing some of my favourite people in there and I am just imagining me being in that publication too, It will also gain more recognition for people with learning disabilities.
Hope a lot of people will join my adventures and create more memories with me.
Country United Kingdom
Website https://nashinasu.com
