Nickolaus Typaldos

War, Money, Marriage, Children
October 13–November 12, 2017
Opening Reception: Friday, October 13, 6-8 PM

Essex Flowers is proud to present War, Marriage, Money, Children, a solo exhibition of new work by Nickolaus Typaldos.

The selection of relief wall sculptures cast in resin elaborates on the artist’s growing lexicon of refuse and ephemera, advancing a kind of trash-poiesis and illuminating the uncanny. Formally, these works are grounded in the language of theatrical props while also evoking the literary genre of tragicomedy. They are at times pitiful, humorous and earnest.

Discarded Styrofoam packaging, empty water bottles, light bulbs, and t-shirts are elements that surface as source materials for the works—items practically invisible in their ubiquity. Appearing degraded or moldy, these composites easily read as future relics unearthed or pulled up from the ocean floor.

Additionally, there are works that move in more pointed directions, taking the form of exteriors. A patchwork of gnarled boards, nailed together to block access or view, is reminiscent of the cartoon-horror style of a haunted house. Recurring sections of brick wall, both iridescent and suburban, form minimalist totems. While these pieces employ caricature, their starkness emphasizes their negative space, inviting the viewer into a void.

The show takes its title from a line of dialogue in Edward Albee’s 1966 play, A Delicate Balance, a modern masterwork on the themes of illusory social and familial bonds, anxiety, and alienation. The works on view, though seemingly pulled from different theatrical sets, are unified as they float in a Twilight Zone-esque swirling mural encompassing the gallery walls.

Nickolaus Typaldos is a multi-disciplinary artist living and working in New York City. He received an MFA from New York University and a BFA from Pacific Northwest College of Art. He has exhibited and performed internationally at venues including Essex Flowers, Marvin Gardens, Shoot the Lobster, David Zwirner, Baxter St./CCNY and Regina Rex, in New York, Praz-Delavallade, Paris and Melange, Cologne.