Nicholas Currie
A week’s Worth
14 June - 19 July 2025

Nicholas Currie is an artist and curator working with painting, sculpture and performance. Currie is a descendant of the Mununjali clan of the Yugambeh language group, with connection to Kuku Yalanji, and currently lives on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm/Melbourne. Humour and kindness are undercurrents to the major themes addressed in his works: contemporary Indigenous perspectives, hauntology and exploration of identity within current Australia. Currie has exhibited at Connors Connors, Sullivan + Strumpf, Futures Gallery, Kings Artist Run Space, Blak Dot Gallery, Koorie Heritage Trust, Outer Space, Craft, Incinerator Gallery and the Margaret Lawrence Gallery. He has a BFA Honours from the Victorian College of the Arts.

A WEEK’S WORTH

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. REPEAT.

In Western time, there are 52 weeks in a year. I made these paintings in a week. I am the age of 1,244 weeks as of writing this and painting these pictures (May 2025). The beauty of life is that it keeps going.

Monday is looking back on the week as you wear a bucket on your head (It’s a Nolan N(ick)ed Kelly homage), Tuesday is spiralling, Wednesday is red arrows everywhere, Thursday is a question for my health check, Friday is absurd, Saturday takes form, and Sunday completes.

When I was mucking around when I was younger, my mum would say to me “We do not have time to go to the hospital Nicholas”. This was endearing, and not a lack of care but a reminder that you are in control of what you do and the things that happen around you. With these paintings, I think of the time spent walking to work, watching movies, eating dinner or sleeping and thinking of what to paint. I wanted smaller works, I wanted colour, I needed humour and for the group to be an odd number. I fear without painting, I would be doing something that wouldn’t kill me, but would definitely not be what I want to be doing. I don’t have time to go to many places; my life expectancy is the lowest on this continent. I wouldn’t trade anything, and I know it’s okay not to be happy with everything. I feel as free as the eagle on the back of a unicorn or sometimes like curling up on myself from black to blue. Smoke will come to meet you as you stand, ready to meet it.

Bet ya can’t even paint slut… look ere then.

Did all these mob in oil so brought some of them still wet to the gallery, I was so happy with em.

If these paintings go to a good home, I’m thinking I am gonna take my family out for a good feed and then buy a new pair of shoes. Maybe get a tattoo of my totem, have a break and drink milkshakes with my friends. I am lactose intolerant.
In serious, thank you for reading, looking at my paintings and feeling something (goodways, badways, anyways).

A week’s worth…

- Nicholas Currie.