Professor Louis Nixon

My research and practice encompass painting, sculpture, installation and experimental film, often presented as multi-media installations in galleries and public spaces. I have a particular interest in creativity and technology.

I was recently awarded a £781,000 AHRC grant through the Creative Research Capability (World Class Lab) scheme to establish Norwich University of the Arts’ Immersive Visualisation and Simulation Lab for the project Volumetric assets and immersive environments depicting future impacts of rising sea levels on the Broads and East Anglia coastline (AHRC CresCa). I was recently Co-Principal Investigator on two large international research projects Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong and Future Cinema Systems.

As a practicing artist I have exhibited widely in the U.K, Europe, and Asia. Recent projects include Off-Earth (2015-2021) at Osage in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Space Museum. Off-Earth is a film which explores human presence in space through objects that have been accidentally dropped or deliberately placed in space by the people who have travelled there.

Recently completed funded projects include www.dropped.space which is a visual and material study and a set of films which explore the problem of space debris

I supervise PhD students in Contemporary Art and before joining Norwich University as Dean of Research and Knowledge Exchange, I was the Director of the Academy of Visual Arts and co-convener of the Augmented Creativity Lab in Hong Kong (from 2018) and Associate Dean for Research (20014-18) and the Head of the School of Fine Art ( 2007-14) at Kingston School of Art, Kingston University, London.

Selected Grants and Awards

• 2023 – Volumetric assets and immersive environments depicting future impacts of rising sea levels on the Broads and East Anglia coastline. Principal Investigator (AHRC CResCa).
• 2021 – Future Cinema Systems (FCS) Co- Principal Investigator. Innovation and Technology Support Programme. Hong Kong.
• 2021 – Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong. Co- Principal Investigator. University Grants Committee (UGC) Theme Based Research Grant.
• 2019 – Dropped, visualising space debris through sculpture and film. A human centred taxonomy of space. Principal Investigator. Hong Kong Research Grants Council.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• 2021 – Dropped, Osage Art Foundation. Hong Kong + screening at Hong Kong Space Museum.
• 2020 – Beyond Matter, 1A Space, Hong Kong
• 2012 – Island. Southard Reid, London
• 2010 – Across the Border, Dispari & Dispari, Italy.
• 2005 – Flag, Economist Plaza, Piccadilly London. Contemporary Arts Society
• 2005 – Everywhere Nowhere, Atelier 25 Reggio Emilia, Italy
• 2001 – Rolling Barrel. Station. Bristol

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2021 – City A. City as Medium. Hong Kong Science Museum
• 2021 – Top Picks. Karin Weber Gallery, Hong Kong
• 2021 – 1A Space, Art Basel. Hong Kong
• 2021 – Future Memories: Utopia, Dystopia, Nature. SCM Gallery. Hong Kong
• 2020 – Art Machines: Past / Present. Harry and Indra Banga Gallery. Hong Kong
• 2020 – Hong Kong Spotlight, Art Basel. Hong Kong
• 2020 – Drawing as The Core. Koo Ming Kown Gallery, Hong Kong
• 2019 – We Are Publication, The Hold, Stanley Picker Gallery, London
• 2014 – De Colore, William Wright Artists Projects, Sydney, Australia
• 2012 – Royal Academy Summer Show. Royal Academy London
• 2010 – Cabin: Codex, 100 artists books. Visual Research Centre, DJCAD
• 2010 – Vette, Palazzo Frisacco, Tolmezzo. Italy
• 2008 – Two Become One, M50 Moganshun Road, Shanghai China
• 2006 – Armenia Biennial, Gumry, Armenia
• 2006 – Out-Or, Poznan, Poland. Video Installation
• 2006 – London Orbital, Stanley Picker Gallery, Kingston
• 2005 – Art Caucasus, Tbilisi, Georgia, October 2005
• 2005 – Kontakt-Kontext, Inner Spaces, Poznan, Poland
• 2005 – Frankly, ON Gallery Poznan, Poland
• 2005 – International Exhibition of Artists Flags, Centre of Visual Culture, Serbia
• 2004 – Values, 11th Biennial of Visual Arts. With ArtLab. Pancevo. Serbia
• 2004 – Un Cuscino Per Sognare, Parco Esposizioni Novegro. Milano
• 2003 – Don’t start from the good old things but the bad new ones, Whitechapel Project Space. London
• 2002 – Crossings, 10th Biennial of Visual Arts. Belgrade. Serbia
• 2001 – Don’t go to Work, Rhodes and Mann. London
• 2001 – Station to Station, Spacex. Exeter
• 2000 – Von Gimborn Arboretum, Utrecht. Netherlands
• 2000 – Century City, Tate Modern, London. Space Explorations (Archive and Publications)

Selected Publications & Catalogues

• 2021 – Creating a Global Cultural City via Public Participation in the Arts:  Volume 2: Conversations with Hong Kong’s Leading Arts and Cultural Administrators. Book Chapter. Ed. Patrick Lo. Nova.
• 2021 – Dropped. Exhibition catalogue. Text by Charles Merewether. Osage Gallery
• 2020 – Art Machines: Past-Present. Curated by J Shaw & R Allen. CityU, Hong Kong
• 2020 – Drawing as the Core. Koo Ming Kown Gallery, Hong Kong
• 2010 – Across the Border: Louis Nixon, New Work. Text by Dean Kenning. Published by Dispari & Dispari  Italy. ISBN 978-88-95600-02-4
• 2006 – Fifth International Biennale Gyumry. Gyumry Centre for Contemporary Art
• 2006 – Out-Or, Catalogue. Poznan, Poland
• 2005 – Frankly, Catalogue. ON Gallery, Poznan, Poland
• 2005 – Art Caucasus, Catalogue. Tbilisi, Georgia
• 2002 – Crossings, Catalogue. 10th Biennial of Visual Arts. Belgrade. Serbia
• 2001 – Rolling Barrel, Artists Book, Published by Art and Space, ISBN 09531689 06
• 2000 – Von Gimborn Arboretum, Catalogue. Utrecht. Netherlands
• 1999 – Tourist, published by Space Explorations, ISBN 09531689 1 3
• 1999 – Furniture, published by Richard Salmon Gallery, London, ISBN 1873550 11 1
• 1999 – Without Day, Proposals for a New Scottish Parliament. City Art Gallery Edinburgh. ISBN 0 74866277 4
• 1999 – Tuning In, Customs and Excise Building, Exmouth Dock. Artist’s book and audio work.
• 1997 – Space Explorations, texts by Penelope Curtis, Mel Gooding David Barrett and Mark Currah. Published by Space Explorations. ISBN 0-953168905
• 1997 – Moving Targets, Louisa Buck. Tate Gallery Publishing, ISBN-10: 1854373161
• 1996 – Moby Dick, Texts by Rita Salvaggio and Pier Luigi Tazzi. Published by John Hansard Gallery
• 1996 – Live – Life, texts by Laurence Bosse and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Musee d’Art Moderne, Paris
• 1996 – Commissioning Art works, Published by The Arts Council of England.
• 1996 – Highlights: Design from Great Britain, Cologne. Published by the Museum of Applied Arts
• 1992 – Space Explorations, Arts Council Film and Video Production
• 1992 – UNTV, Video Publication, Including Gilbert and George

Selected Public Lectures, Talks and Conferences

• 2021 – Panel Discussion “Cultivating Great Minds (Innovation in Pedagogy)” in the Asia-Pacific Professional Leaders in Education (QS APPLE) 2021 Conference and Exhibition.
• 2021 – Dropped, public lectures and tours. Osage Gallery
• 2020 – Beyond Matter: In conversation with Harald Kramer, 1A Space, Hong Kong
• 2014 – Everything is somehow included. Panel Chair ICA London. With the Contemporary Art Research Centre, The Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy and the Visual and Material Culture Research Centre

Selected Articles and Reviews

• 2022 – Louis Nixon ‘Dropped’. Art Asia Pacific
• 2020 – Louis Nixon: Experimenting Beyond Matter, Art Asia Pacific. September
• 2012 – 11 Course leaders: 20 Questions. Published by Q, Art ISBN: 978-0-9564355-1-4
• 2009 – Public Art China, Issue 1. ISSN 1674-7038, pp 8 -23
• 2007 – ART, ISSN 1812-6634. pp 63-70
• 2001 – Spotlight. Architects Journal. Article by Steven Spier
• 1999 – High-Rise. Art Monthly, David Barrett, No.226
• 1996 – One Million Cubic Feet. Time Out. Mark Currah. May 1996 (Issue 1342)
• 1996 – Space Explorations. Flash Art. (Issue 195). December