Justin Adian, L7, 2021. Oil enamel on canvas and felt, 53.3 x 33cm. Courtesy: the artist and day01. Gallery, Sydney.

Skipping Borders celebrates new work by Tomislav Nikolic and New York based artist, Justin Adian. Two geographically opposed artists that share similar expanded fields of exploration. Where the picture plane is cleverly questioned, not defined to one surface within a frame, rather asserting itself as juxtaposed colours and shapes in space, often slightly lopsided.

Despite the humorous and whimsical aspects that are inherent in both Adian’s plush organic forms, and Nikolic’s unlikely colour palettes purposefully mismatched, here are two artists making wall pieces that successfully remain as abstract paintings (or hybrid sculptures if you
wish). Both working at the outer edges of their chosen medium’s limitations, challenging its norms, to then gloriously dabble outside the lines.

Every artwork has its own internal story, a different personality. Nikolic’s large scale work What’s a boy to do, with the story in my head that’s never true triggers an admirable chromatic kinship to historic and contemporary masters. Inspired by the emotional surge and
sensuality created by other painters, those highly skilled with the gift of colour and form, is not foreign to Nikolic. He often works in a circular manner, looking at the future, by viewing the past.

A recent addition to Adian’s practice outside of his tactile wall paintings but still fondly related are the gleeful ceramic sculptures, presented here to an audience for the very first time. Miniature in size, yet saturated with childhood cultural cues such as Fred Flintstone and perhaps even Ronald McDonald, made globally famous by his home country America. However, if you look a little closer you’ll also see Adian citing inspiration by a heterogenous range of artistic masters, ranging from Ugo Rondinone, Ron Nagle and Franz West. This poses no surprise as we are all related to something…