Orator

October 27 - November 19, 2023

Monaco is delighted to present Orator, a group of slate drawings by Kole Nichols curated by Monaco Member Emily Mueller.

Please join us for an opening reception Friday October, 27, 2023 from 6 to 9 p.m with viewings available on Saturdays from 12 to 4 p.m. and by appointment.

For all inquiries and appointments please contact Monaco at info@monacomonaco.us / IG: @monaco_usa

EXHIBITION STATEMENT

[by Emily Mueller]

Kole Nichols gathers natural materials like indigo, walnut, river rocks, coal, stone dust and slate to create drawing-like objects and installations. Orator focuses on Nichols’ slate drawings and objects that he sourced from his home in Southwestern Alabama. With etched surfaces, Nichols builds his own lexicon of writing-like lines. The resulting compositions become an index that guides viewers through the language of his work. 

These drawings consider the translation of amorphous and unformed shapes of thought into line and form, and an earnest human desire to communicate and order information. Quiet and personal, Nichols’ internal thoughts have been transcribed in a way that reaches beyond traditional language and connects to content that cannot be expressed verbally.

Orator formats Nichols’ work onto shelves that reference votive offerings and transform Monaco's project space into an archive of attempts at creating icons and forms that speak beyond language and the physical.

BIO

Kole Nichols

Kole Nichols (B. 1998) is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work often utilizes the languages of printmaking, drawing, painting, and sculpture as an expanded approach to art-making in order to navigate their conceptual interests. Nichols was born and raised in Alabama where he attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham (BFA) before later attending The University of Alabama where he received an MFA. Nichols currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia where he works as both an artist and educator. Recent exhibitions in which they have been featured include a solo show at the Wiregrass Museum of Art (2023), The Gadsden Museum of Art (2023), and Hawkins Headquarters (2023). Their work has also been Included in recent group shows at Wavelength space (2023), The Shelby County Arts Council (2023), and Whitespace (2022).

IG: @_pocketchange_/ website: https://www.kolenichols.com/

For all inquiries and appointments please contact: Monaco at info@monacomonaco.us / IG: @monaco_usa

or Emily Mueller at eemueller23@gmail.com / IG: @Ferris_Muellerz