Featured Artist Nick Simpson

Enjoy the bizarre, erotic and narrative Victorian salon style photographic art of Nick Simpson. Visit his website to view more of his work.

 

The Venus of Whissendine

“The Venus of Whissendine” Black and White/Sepia Photograph, Various Sizes

 

My art seeks to visually express a fascination with stories steeped in the bizarre, the erotic and the fantastic. Stories are told through an eclectic collection of clues – fictional objects, artifacts and curiosities – which cause the narrative to hover between the real and the imaginary.

 

Blunderer of the 13th Light

“Blunderer of the 13th Light” Black and White Photograph, Various Sizes

 

By meticulous planning, these richly detailed photographic tableaux are devised to invite the viewer to at first question, and then piece together the whole story for themselves.

 

Dr Crighton's Apparatus for the Exploration of Other Worlds Being without the Benefit of a Breathable Atmosphere

“Dr Crighton’s Apparatus for the Exploration of Other Worlds Being without the Benefit of a Breathable Atmosphere” Black & White Photograph, Various Sizes

 

In this latest body of work, “The Bumforth Manor Collection” I present a collection of photographs that look as though they were recently discovered in the attic of an imagined, long-deceased relative.

 

Podiceps Cristatus

“Podiceps Cristatus” Black & White/Sepia Photograph, Various Sizes

 

I have borrowed heavily from the Victorians using cues and objects seemingly from that era.

 

The Spot Nadgerers of Bytham Mound

“The Spot Nadgerers of Bytham Mound” Black & White/Sepia Photograph, Various Sizes

 

The resulting images highlight a shared obsession with the unusual and the obscure, the dark and the inexplicable, creating stories that exploit ironic notions of colonialism, pomp, and the impact of the industrial revolution.

 

The Burton Tup

“The Burton Tup” Black & White Photograph, Various Sizes

 

The apparatus I have chosen to use to create these works – an original 1867 Petzval lens mated to a full plate mahogany view camera of similar vintage – further immerses us into the world of Victorian salon photography, giving an authenticity that connects the process with the final artwork.

 

The Gentlemen Callers

“The Gentlemen Callers” Black & White/Sepia Photograph, Various Sizes

 

I shoot all scenes in-camera and the resulting original picture is made in a single sitting on one photographic plate.

 

The Melton Beauty

“The Melton Beauty” Black & White/Sepia Photograph, Various Sizes

 

Everything in my pictures is real, especially when incongruous or unexpected.

 

The Perambulator

“The Perambulator” Black & White/Sepia Photograph, Various Sizes

 

Hand painting, scratching and distressing add a patina to the plates, giving the illusion of historical provenance, adding further credibility to the suggestion that the picture really might be a nineteenth century artifact.

 

The Treacle Virgin

“The Treacle Virgin” Black & White Photograph, Various Sizes

 

I invite the viewer to revel in these fantasies for their amusement, delight and surprise.

 

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Comments

  1. Wow! So obviously unique! Thx for the tickle to the brain! (and, no, I’ve never said that about anyone else’s work!)

  2. My favorite featured artist thus far! Fantastic!!!

  3. Absolutely love your work.

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