Willy Nabi
Willy Nabi (born in France) lives and works in London. He graduated in Slade School of Art, MFA and Goldsmiths, BA in UK. Willy Nabi’s work explores the intersection of the absurd and emotional narrative, blending familiar imagery with unexpected distortions of form, colour and context. His paintings evoke a sense of nostalgia, humour and introspection - stranded wall-bound/bedroom - the paintings are made with the intention of being hung in his bedroom.Through expressive brushwork and a rich layered palette, Nabi constructs worlds that feel both playful and unsettling. Wether its a melancholic anthropomorphic figure in a whimsical landscape,an isolated structure caught in a swirling current, or repeated symbols of everyday objects transformed into meditative motifs, each piece tells a fragmented story - one that is open to interpretation yet deeply personal. As its core, Willy Nabi’s work captures the essence of fleeting emotions and the surreal nature of creating a window onto imaginary worlds, where humour and unease coexist in a delicate balance.
Awards: Felix Slade Award (Scholarship), Goldsmiths University of London Warden's Prize
Selected Shows: 2025 Anchorage, Greatorex street, London, 2024 Solo show at Danny Profit gallery, London, 2022 Mothering, Kupfer projects, London, 2021 New Contemporaries, South London Gallery, London, 2021 New Contemporaries, Firstsite, Colchester, 2020 London Grads Now. Saatchi Gallery, London, 2019 Cartoons and Cereal, Offshoot Gallery, London, 2019 Pulling Teeth, ASC Gallery, London, 2018 I thought he was a fish, Limehouse Town Hall, London, 2017 Dilbings, 48 Poland Street, London, 2017 Soft Yes, Rakursi Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria, 2017 Up River, Centre for Contemporary Art, Plovdiv, Bulgaria,2017 Spring Exhibition 2017, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen.