Niki Urban
"The process of creating a drawing or painting is most important to me because there is so much time and attention involved. Usually I have a main idea in my head and then plan out most of the image before starting it, but after a certain point in time I begin to improvise… Though rather carefully. Using fine tipped ink pens as a medium is satisfying because I can get so much detail. It quickly gets painfully tedious but I somehow enjoy that. When it comes to the themes that appear in my work, there is usually a “dark” or somewhat gloomy feeling, and I think it comes from a special relationship with fear and anxiety. I am very intrigued with the darker side of art for that reason and because anxiety provokes a lot of strange and illogical thoughts to the imagination. I’d like for my audience to see the beauty of the dark side in my work, and to appreciate strangeness."
Educaton/CV:
Education:
BFA 2012 Fine Arts College for Creative Studies
Exhibition Record:
2009—2012 Student Exhibition, CCS: Detroit, MI
2011 Art Opening, Depot Town Tattoo: Ypsilanti, MI.
2011—2012 Local Artist Exhibition, Studio West: Brighton, MI.
2012 ArtPrize, The B.O.B: Grand Rapids, MI.
2012 Senior Thesis Show, Popp’s Packing: Hamtramck, MI.
2013 Odditorium Detroit, Vol. 2: “Wunderkammer”: District VII: Detroit, MI.
2013 INK., Tangent Gallery: Detroit, MI.
2013 Dia De Los Natitas (Day of the Skulls) Art Show, Kings & Queens Tattoo:
Waterford, MI.
2013 Local Artist Exhibition, Studio West: Brighton, MI.
2013 Corpus Illuminata, Tangent Gallery: Detroit, MI.
2013 Grim Delusions, Kings & Queens Tattoo: Waterford, MI.
2013 Damned, Tangent Gallery: Detroit, MI.
2014 CCS Alumni Show, Taubman Center: Detroit, MI.
2015 Red Bull House of Art Cycle 10, Red Bull House of Art: Detroit, MI
2015 Red Bull House of Art Alumni Exhibition, Red Bull House of Art: Detroit, MI
