Presentation of the artist nkl Nicolas Badout
Born in 1992 and trained in applied arts at the Martinière des Terreaux in Lyon, as well as at the School of Architecture in Montpellier, Nicolas Badout has several strings to his bow: he is an illustrator, a painter, a silkscreen printer, a muralist and a street artist.
Sometimes nkl, sometimes Nicolas Badout, he has been working on his line for about ten years now. Back in Lyon in 2015, he had several exhibitions in various places, before passing through the Cartel (the former Taverne Gutenberg) between 2019 and 2020. In 2022, he joined L’Alcôve, from where he now works.
For the past 3 years, Nicolas has worked for national literary publishing houses (Monsieur Toussaint Louverture, Editions du Typhon), the musical and cultural world (Le Marché Gare, Paperboys, MyProg, Fluoretro), urban planning and architecture agencies, but also on exhibitions and more personal illustrations.
HIS ARTISTIC UNIVERSE
nkl develops a graphic universe in chiaroscuro, on the boundary between reality and fantasy, often in black and white or in strong contrast. He creates his works using different techniques: with a pen, with a brush, his preferred technique : with Indian ink, with acrylics or even on a graphic tablet.
“I like to look at our world with a sometimes acidic, but amused, sometimes contemplative and observant eye”.
Inspired by the illustrator Charles Burns, his mentor, and many black and white films that have marked him, Nicolas has recently been trying his hand at the delicate exercise of the graphic novel.
HIS ARTISTIC REFERENCES
He finds his inspiration in literature – especially American literature, with its great landscapes – in the mountains and forests of Oregon, as well as in the current events of a world in perpetual movement.
nkl also likes to question our relationship with images, internet memes, history and the world around us, which is going through major political, migratory, technological and pandemic crises…
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Upcoming exhibitions
nkl is exhibiting at le festival airt de famille festival from 13 april to 21 june 2024.