“fragments”
Nicholas Tsekouras
18 Mar → 6 Apr 2023
fragments is an expression of Nicholas Tsekouras’ identity through re-purposed, discarded street posters. Travelling across Wurundjeri Country in their day to day, Nicholas is drawn to fallen street posters, recontextualising them within a practice founded upon ideas around waste, property and the commodification of public space under late Capitalism.
Through the erasure and puncturing of the surface of these advertising posters, Nicholas reveals personal narratives through collage, drawing, painting and embellishment. The works are inherently personal, formed on the basis of the artist’s reflections on their experience as a queer, non-binary, white and young member of the community.
fragments expands outside of the window to occupy the balcony area outside West Space. These pieces carry the material trace of collaboration between Nicholas and young people from the local Yarra Youth Services, as part of their work as an artist in residence at the centre. During the graffiti program, Nicholas offered these offcuts as a surface upon which participants could paint. These collaborative works further Nicholas’ interest in the idea of what a sustainable artistic practice might be, and troubles notions of private ownership tied up in property and historic understandings of the art object. The use of aerosol also draws similarities to how one might have originally encountered these posters on the street, while offering a glimpse into the aesthetic world of the youth participants.
The West Space Window is supported by City of Yarra, and viewable during all open hours in Collingwood Yards.
Nicholas Tsekouras (they/he) is an emerging, queer and visual artist born in Naarm with a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) and Laws. Their works typically use a range of mediums with a particular focus on sustainable and often unconventional waste materials. Tsekouras’ studio is now based at Yarra Youth Services after successfully obtaining a City of Yarra grant for a artist residency at the space. They also work as a workshop facilitator for people of all ages and abilities, running creative workshops with diverse offerings.