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Planet Earth at Nik Pence Gallery.

Titled after the 1980 Devo song ‘Planet Earth’, a satirical, detached observation of ordinary human life and societal absurdity. Nicholas Szymanski’s paintings encapsulate the artist’s interests in color relationships, materiality, meditative application, silence, and seeing as opposed to looking. As contemplative objects, Szymanski’s paintings offer a present resting place, one of inactivity and dwelling amidst the temporally unstable and frenetically topical nature of obsessive individualism often observed in current times.

Existing between colour-field painting, objecthood and architecture, these restrained works invite slow, sustained looking. References to memory, photography and observed experience serve as points of departure rather than fixed subjects, allowing each painting to become, in the artist’s words, “self-informed, intuitive, and perceptual.” Working primarily in oil on canvas and linen, Szymanski also incorporates materials such as mica and sand, extending his exploration of surface, texture and material presence. Each composition develops through gradual revision and refinement. Carefully calibrated passages of colour are built over time, while traces of editing, slippages of paint and shifts in texture remain visible, allowing each work to retain a distinctly human presence. Central to Szymanski’s work is the idea of Purposelessness—an experiential approach in which colour, material and time are allowed to determine each painting’s own resolution. The subject of his paintings is what he describes as “a quiet and experiential engagement.” As the artist suggests, this may be likened to aware—the pathos of things—a Japanese concept concerned with an awareness of the ephemeral beauty of a world marked by continual change and an aversion to definition.

Szymanski (b. 1989) lives and works in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His work has been exhibited internationally,
including at Museum Sankt Wendel, Germany, with solo exhibitions in New York, Chicago and Grand Rapids. His paintings are held in private collections across the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia

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SNEAK PEEK: Your weekly insider to all things Art in Detroit, Now 🌟

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the full list!

Every Thursday, we land in your inbox with where to go, who to see and new art to explore.

See where art takes you.
Go look.

→ Find it at ArtDetroitNow.com/Subscribe

#SeeWhereArtTakesYou #ArtLivesInDetroit #ArtLivesHere #ArtDetroitNow

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This past weekend was a whirlwind! I’m so grateful to Amani and Aleiya of Olu & Company for bringing Season Contemporary to life. The camaraderie of participants was unmatched and an incredible demonstration of Detroit’s support for the art and design community. Many thanks to Nik Pence for trusting in my vision and presenting my newly completed artwork, “The Shedding (Detroit)” for Nik Pence Gallery’s first fair and Avie Linden for representing the piece/my vision so whole-heartedly. I’m also lucky to have Andi of Haus of Harris in my corner for many items including last minute copyediting, James Quay for always saving the day, and last but not least, Alex of Alex Drew & No One and Stephen of Marchio Standard for making it happen.

#katquay #seasonfair #nikpencegallery #detroitart #detroitartist

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The road to creating The Shedding (Detroit), my new installation presented by Nik Pence Gallery at Season Contemporary Fair involved planning and collaboration. From working with Alex Drew and No One to create renderings and production drawings, cutting at Troy Laser, fabrication with Marchio Standard, delivery to and installation at The Shepherd with Pence Fine Art Services, to final display with Nik Pence Gallery; sculpture at this scale is a team sport. I’m grateful to all my Detroit-based collaborators for their support, and to the Season Contemporary Fair team led by Amani Olu for creating an incredible event that underscores Detroit’s significant presence in contemporary art.

#katquay #seasonfair #nikpencegallery #detroitart #detroitartist

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Coming soon: my new installation, “The Shedding (Detroit)” presented by Nik Pence Gallery, will be debuting during the Season Fair at The Shepherd from September 11-13!

Some final details are being completed and then it will head out for install on Thursday.

#katquay #katquayartist #seasonfair #detroitart #seasonfairdetroit

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It's our director @danyaensing 's birthday! 🥳🎂 To celebrate, #SeeWhereArtTakesYou with her 10 holiday-weekend reccos 🗓️✅ We'll catch you out there 💘 #ArtLivesInDetroit

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I’ve been thinking about my artwork, “ImageLayer_BlessYourHeart.tif” (Bluebonnets), that came down this week after being part of @nikpencegallery ‘s Summer Exhibition. The piece is part of my Image Layer series, in which each sculpture depicts a flower representative of a place I’ve lived. The “Bless Your Heart” portion of the title references the ambiguous Southern colloquialism and alludes to my experience of culture shock upon moving from New York City to attend grad school in Texas at the University of Texas at Austin. The Bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas and you would see fields of them while driving on the many Lone Star state highways.

ImageLayer_BlessYourHeart.tif
2024
Steel, plexi, glass, and 3D PLA prints
25”H x 24”W x 12”D

#katquay #katquayartist #texasart #detroitartist #detroitart

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So looking forward to being in conversation with @joannetwin and @katquay this Saturday at @nikpencegallery 🙌

Join us in the gallery at 3pm for this talk and to catch the exhibition before it closes next week.

Saturday, August 15, 3pm
Nik Pence Gallery
32751 Franklin Rd, Franklin, MI

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Your weekly insider to all things Art in Detroit, Now 🌟

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the full list!

#artdetroitnow #artliveshere #detroitartist

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Currently on view in a group exhibition at @nikpencegallery, ‘ImageLayer_Bless YourHeart.tif (Bluebonnet)’ continues @katquay’s exploration of the space between the digital and the physical.

Inspired by the familiar layers of photo-editing software, the work transforms a flat image into a sculptural experience. Textured glass acts as a digital “filter,” distorting 3D-printed florals set against an illuminated backdrop, inviting us to reconsider how we see and experience images.

See this work and more now at Nik Pence Gallery. Open Saturdays 12-6p or by appointment.

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Artist Carlo Vitale with his work “The Last Thing I Remember” Saturday afternoon at the reception for Nik Pence Gallery’s latest group show in Franklin. The show features the work of Patrick Hill, Jacci Den Hartog, Martha Mysko, Chris Pinter and Mr. Vitale.

Photo made May 16, 2026.

Photo: (c) 2026 Jeff Cancelosi

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Artist Martha Mysko with her work “Comfortable Eclecticism” Saturday afternoon at the reception for Nik Pence Gallery’s latest group show in Franklin. The show features the work of Patrick Hill, Jacci Den Hartog, Ms. Mysko, Chris Pinter and Carlo Vitale.

Photo made May 16, 2026.

Photo: (c) 2026 Jeff Cancelosi

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