Introducing Nicolas Eres

I am tempted to say that Nicolas is terrestrial, in the true and Human sense of the word, with all the humility it entails in regards to things greater and more ancestral than us, and also more mysterious : the earth, nature, Life; the key to his universe and of his artworks. Let me explain…

Nicolas grew up in the countryside, with many moments spent in his grandparents’ farm. This childhood, which according him, explains the profound love and respect he has of nature and of the earth, of matter, of Life. “I need and love to bring back to my studio branches and bits of wood or rocks that I find during my nature walks or strolls along the seashore since I live near the Mediteranean.” He is passionate about nature; this nature that soothes him and which he does not claim to replicate, but rather tries to convey the emotion, the essence of life and the motion of what dwells in him. In that respect, ants are his favorite subjects, as are butterflies, the leaves of plants and jellyfish.  All fragile subjects, at first glance, but all dating back to long before prehistoric Man, yet sharing one common denominator : a sum of individuals, all unique, that create a whole but whose rules governing them elude us. Whether it be a colony of ants, a school of jellyfish or the flight of butterflies…

“Each ant, jellyfish and butterfly I create is unique. With the intention, through their shapes and posture, to restore their unique character and individual temperament.” He creates them, one by one, but gathered together they seem to come to life, to create a bigger motion. This is fascinating…like when Nicolas created an art installation in which his ants ran up the walls of Namur’s city hall…Nature and Life taking back their rightful place in the world, making us love them and leading us to change where we situate ourselves among them. This is neither an ecological message nor an advocacy or engaged art. It’s “simply” an artistic interpretation of the admiration and love for Life, Nature and the humility and respect for them…Nicolas’ interpretation. Humility also inspired by two of his favorite books, “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne. “Aside from the exploration and adventure narrated by Jules Verne, I love the idea that there are still areas and species that exist in our world (and existed long before Man), that are unknown to us and remain to be discovered.”

His technique and material : metal. “As a small boy I recall having fun cutting up and dismantling my toys just to reassemble the pieces in order to create something completely different, but the catalyst took place when I was 18. I had been hospitalized two months because a serious illness, and when I left the hospital I decided not to further my studies and work for my father instead, repairing agricultural machinery. I discovered welding…and the potential of metal.” His free time became more and more devoted to his creations, a self-taught artist free of any influence. During 10 years, he simultaneously combined the repair shop and his creative workshop, until 2010 when he began devoting himself entirely to his art: sculpting.

The circle is a recurring feature in his creations that allows their suspension, for practical and aesthetical reasons, but also symbolically. As you’ve probably caught on, Nicolas Eres doesn’t like things that are straight for they are not found in nature. He prefers curves which he illustrates with a proverb he loves, quoting it laughingly “The crooked tree lives his life while the tree that is straight ends up as planks”.

The hands of Nicolas Eres yield perfectly balanced sculptures, with harmony between strength and sensitivity, solidity and finesse, figuration and abstraction, imaginary and reality.

Now, must we reiterate what is now known as an inherent characteristic of our selection?...An artist to be followed closely and to be added to your collection (especially while he prices are still affordable !)

And…THANK YOU Nicolas.