Nik Anikis
Slovenia
Born in 1990 in Celje, Slovenia; currently lives Sevnica, SI.
The holder of a master’s degree in painting, Nik Anikis, who already began his career as a painter in early childhood, expresses his inner world through paintings created in the spirit of neo-Renaissance imaginative realism, which he skilfully enhances with motifs of visionary painting and reflections of the deep battles and striking contrasts in an individual’s intimate depths.
His paintings take the viewer from the Classical ideals of beauty and the golden ratio via the skilful techniques of the Renaissance artists to the expression of the contemporary generation, which on the one hand is oriented toward critically evaluating current cultural facts and global developments, and on the other hand is characterized by infinite optimism, in which the future offers the fulfilment of individuals and their final liberation.
His monumental works, which, using a classical technique, introduce modern elements and the artist’s poetics into ancient motifs and timeless symbols. With its realistic depiction, the simple but technically complete male nude grounds viewers and connects them with the world and the individuum’s deeper truth. By depicting people’s attitudes to the world they live in and interpersonal relationships, displaying the role play between the sexes, and highlighting other topical ideas, the artist leads the viewer to the development of a subject that he gradually raises from the ground, liberates from merely earthly reality, and guides into a fantastic, mystical environment. The evolution transforms where the individual connects with the divine and realizes his or her long-sought-after ideal.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Education (selection):
- Art in Sutrium with Roberto Ferri, Sutri, Italy 2017
- Master’s degree in Painting, Academy of Fine Arts Ljubljana, 2012-2016
- Portraiture by Cesar Santos, La Galeria Roja, Sevilla, Spain, 2016
- Angel Academy of Art, under the mentorship of Maestro Michael J. Angel, Fundamental program for drawing and painting, Florence, Italy 2014-2016
- Spring term SmArt Art School, under the mentorship of Donato Giancola.
- Academy of Fine Arts Ljubljana, the graduate program of painting, 2009-2012
Solo Shows (selection):
- 2019 and 2020, Ars ad Infinitum, Atelje Galerija, Ljubljana, Slovenija
- 2014, Dvig nove klasične umetnosti, Mosconova Gallery, Castle of Sevnica, Sevnica, Slovenia
- 2008, first solo exhibition in Grajska kavarna on Castel of Sevnica, Sevnica, Slovenia
Group Exhibitions (selection):
- 2019, May Salon – Painting, Narodni Muzej Slovenije, Ljubljana
- 2018, Permanent exhibition of one painting in National Gallery of Nakhchivan
- 2017, ARC Salon and Figurativas 2017, MEAM, Barcelona, Spain
- 2017, 12th International ARC Salon Live Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, USA
- 2016, 100x Madonna, Art Cacher, London
- 2015, Dieci Occhi, Ten eyes, Gallery Herman Pečarič, Piran, Slovenia
- 2012, TRANSFORM 2012, Solun, Greece
Rewards (selection):
- 2014-2019, six times Finalist of International Salon Competition Art Renewal Center,
- 2018, International Raffaello Art Reward with painting ''Reawakening of Humanity'', Bologna, Italy
- 2016, Honorable Mention for the painting ‘’I Am my Word’’ on International Salon Competition Art Renewal Center 2016, category Still Life
- 2013, won the 1st award on competition Mladi Youngle talenti, Listen to the Youngle, Maribor, Slovenia
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.