Artist Nicolás Said wearing a black shirt standing in front of a red brick wall

Nicolás Said Residency

Buenos Aires-based artist Nicolás Said will be in residence at Studio Voltaire from October to December 2024.

Said's work focuses on drawing, particularly in black-and-white figurativism where he constructs an imaginary world inspired by traditions of folklore, religious iconography, symbolism and surrealism.

He takes an expansive and creative approach to storytelling – drawing from inherited narratives and reshaping them into fictional universes filled with epics, odes, and legends. His work often comes in series, triptychs and diptychs, exploring themes such as costumes, family ties, and the creation of myths, all viewed through lens of queerness and strangeness.

During his residency at Studio Voltaire, Said plans to initiate, develop and complete a project that examines humanity's historical and contemporary responses to the concept of the Apocalypse, particularly how this idea has shifted from a fantastical notion to a more realistic and scientifically grounded concern. Inspired by works like Dürer's woodcuts and William Blake's paintings, Said intends to experiment with various formats, including polyptychs and non-flat surfaces, to explore these apocalyptic themes.

This residency is generously supported by Erica Roberts.

Special thanks to Camila Charask, Clara Galperin and Amalia Pica.

Nicolás Said (b. 1995 Buenos Aires, Argentina) currently lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina.He first studied Psychology at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and later Fine Arts at the National University of Arts (UNA). He has studied with local professors and artists such as Tomás Espina, Luis Terán and Florencia Rodríguez Giles.
Since 2018, Said has participated in solo and group exhibitions in Argentina and Europe, in public institutions, galleries, national halls and art fairs. In 2023, Said held his first solo exhibition in Buenos Aires, La otra casa (The Other House), at Constitución Gallery. In 2022, he was selected to participate in the residency programme at Castello San Basilio in Basilicata, Italy, which culminated in the exhibition Stations of the Ingenuous. In 2019, he participated in the ArtistasxArtistas art training programme run by Fundación El Mirador. He won first prize in the drawing category of the National Small Format Salon, Casa Camacini in 2019.
Group exhibitions include Contrarreloj, Intemperie Gallery, Buenos Aires, 2022; Le Sud dans le Sud, Domaine Fondungues-Pradugues, St. Tropez, 2022; II National Biennal of Drawing, Frankin Rawson Museum, San Juan, Argentina, 2021; Llaverguoqui, Constitución Gallery, Buenos Aires, 2021; Southern Winds I & II, Kromya Art Gallery, Lugano & London, 2021; Tegumento, Fundación El Mirador, Buenos Aires, 2021; Pacífica Mordida, PM Gallery, Buenos Aires, 2020; and Peluscencias, Munar, Buenos Aires, 2020.
Nicolás Said, 2024. Credit Alexsander Girardi
Nicolás Said, Hand Goat, 2020. Image courtesy of the artist.
Nicolás Said, Three Dresses, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist and Florencia Lista.
Nicolás Said, Sonora Carver on Red Lips, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.