Nicholas Samartis is a contemporary artist working across several mediums including sculpture, ^{[1] [2]} photography, film, art installations and as a creative director. ^[3] He is also known for his photographic artworks and portraiture in American Vogue. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Biography

Samartis has worked with U.S Conde Nast, ^{[7] [8]} The New York Metropolitan Opera ^{[9] [10]} and during a decade long career with the US Vogue ^{[11] [12] [13]} he worked with many notable icons, including Academy Award winners, Anne Hathaway, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Cate Blanchett and among others, Keira Knightley, Hugh Jackman, Amy Adams, ^[14] Naomi Watts, Ashley Judd, Katie Holmes, Gerard Butler, Evan Rachel Wood, and music superstars, Prince, Tom Petty, Billy Joel. And artists including Jeff Koons. ^{[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]}

Samartis received 'The 'Pinnacle Award' for photography at The Australian Design Biennale in the year 2014. ^[10] He was featured in the Australian edition of Masters of Photography in 2015. ^[22] He was one of the 2016 finalists for the National Portrait Prize at The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and a finalist in Paddington Art Prize and his sculptures have been featured at Sculpture by the Sea in 2021. ^{[23] [24] [25]}

In 2018, inspired by the 1960s brutalist frieze designed by Pablo Picasso, Collegi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya, Samartis designed and created the major work 'All You Need is Love', ^[26] a 5-meter x 2-meter brutalist wall with 65 hand-made and individually colored resin blocks in a font sourced from Dutch master-graphic-designer, Jurriaan Schrofer, for Crystalbrook Collection, helmed by Ghassan Aboud. The words, All You Need Is Love were originally written by John Lennon. ^{[27] [28] [29]}

In December 2021, Samartis was selected out of hundreds of applicants to exhibit at the inaugural show, opening the newly minted Woollahra Gallery ^[30] (formerly Redleaf Library ^[31]) in a group show along with 3 other notable artists. ^{[32] [33] [34]}

In March 2022, Samartis was announced as the recipient of the prestigious Andrea Stretton Award for sculpture. ^[35]

Exhibitions

• Blue Period – Solo show at The Downtown Standard Hotel, Los Angeles. ^[36]
• National Gallery, Canberra – National Portrait Prize Finalist group show 2016. ^[24]
• M2 Gallery – Group Show, 2016 ^[37]
• Words Matter – Solo Show at Stylecraft Sydney, 2017 ^[38]
• Antumbra – A summer group exhibition, Olsen Gallery, Sydney, 2018 ^{[39] [40]}
• WhiteWall Art Project- Group Show, 2018 Sydney. ^[41]
• Penumbra – Group show, Olsen Gruin Gallery, New York. 2019 ^{[42] [43] [44]}
• Sculpture by the Sea – Bondi 2021 ^{[45] [46]}
• Woollahra Gallery (at Redleaf) group show 2021–22. ^{[30] [32] [33] [34]}
• Sculpture by the Sea – Cottesloe, Perth. 2022 ^[47]

References