Nicky Ottav

“Art is a blessing that I never take for granted!” says Nicky, whose parents are both really artistic people and have always put the right tools in his hands to create. After receiving a degree in photography, he realized it’s just not his medium. Today he prefers to work with his hands, especially with collage and mixed media. His work is about feeling different and embracing it. Nicky’s new project Saints of a Different Order celebrates people who have influenced the artist’s personal style. His portraits of these figures reference the way in which the visual language of coinage, noble portraiture, and Christian symbolism is oppressive to the vast majority. In creating his own visual language the artist celebrates queers, people of color and everyone else disadvantaged by systems of heterosexual white male power. He sometimes wonders whether people will take his work seriously given it is so colorful and fun. Often inspired by cartoons, the work reflects that. Nicky encourages viewers to look more deeply at the imagery and the political values he upholds therein. Currently, he’s designing a digital ad campaign for Red Bull and working on a collection of clothes with Print All Over Me. “It’s so important now more than ever to make art about how you feel,” says Nicky.