If you were to flip through the pages of a glossy fashion magazine, or glance in the shopfronts of prominent streetwear labels, you would probably recognize the face of Melbourne-based artist and model Elliott Nimmo, a talented emerging creative who is exploring the possibilities of art and advertising in and outside the studio.
Tell us a little bit about your background, what interested you in art to begin with? Who, or what, were your early influences? I always drew – I’d sit under my dad’s desk and draw on butcher’s paper from the moment I could sit up, pretty much. My parents were – and still are – incredibly supportive and encouraging. As a kid, they’d take me to art galleries, so I became very familiar with the big guns of Australian painting from a very young age – and managed to meet quite a few, too.
Describe your art and process: I’m a painter – a figurative painter. My work follows a post-Pop aesthetic, and my main points of reference are American artists, Alex Katz and David Salle. My work is all in the surface, in that there is no overarching meaning beyond the surface image. Whatever people read into is fair enough, but it’s only ever about the instantaneous aesthetic.
When did you start modeling and what was it that led you to this path? I fell into it! I don’t know, it’s a funny business. I think anyone who wants to be a model should probably take a good, hard look at themselves, because it’s such a fickle, fairweather industry. It’s a fortuitous situation though, because I’m able to draw on this experience and use it to inform some aspects of my paintings.
And now you’re a creative working for a big ad agency, tell us in your opinion what stands out from the rest with regard to product branding? That’s a tough one. The market is saturated with so many brands – it seems to me that simplicity and sticking to a brand truth cuts through all the noise.
ELLIOTT NIMMO’S CHECKLIST
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM CREATIVE ENDEAVOR? Painting in a studio loft in New York.
NAME YOUR POISON: That’s easy. A very strong G&T, with rosemary.
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Oh, tough. Especially in Melbourne. I love Movida Next Door.
FAVORITE CITY: New York.
FAVORITE FASHION LABEL: Menswear: Paul Smith. Womenswear: Céline.
IF YOU WERE TO DANCE LIKE NOBODY IS WATCHING WHAT WOULD BE THE SONG OF CHOICE: ‘Sing it Back’ by Moloko.
BEST ADVICE TAKING A SELFIE: It’s all about the downlighting.
LIFE MOTTO: Take everything with a grain of salt, and stick to your guns.
Australian abstract artist Boe Sapun is the founder and curator of Ecume Gallery. The Melbourne-based gallery represents both local, international, established, and emerging contemporary art.
The idea of having great art accessible to a broad audience prompted the online gallery showcasing her own work, as well as a diverse range and ever-growing list of talented contributing artists.
Boe‘s passion is in discovering creative minds and understanding the finer nuances of their character which influence their process, inspiration, and art. Follow Boe Sapun and Écume Gallery on Instagram.
