Known for her sumptuously detailed large-scale drawings and installations, Nina Mae Fowler’s work interrogates themes of celebrity, beauty, power and sexuality. Preoccupied with Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’, Fowler treats the period as a crucible of our own, revelling in its sheer visual richness at the same time as it critiques our culture’s obsession with stardom, as well as the ubiquitous presence of the photographic lens in the reception of imagery. Since her nomination for the BP Portrait Prize in 2008, Fowler’s work has won widespread acclaim. It is featured in numerous collections of international significance, and she enjoys close working relationships with leading fine art institutions including the National Portrait Gallery. A monograph of her work entitled Nina Mae Fowler: Measuring Elvis was published by Cob Gallery in 2015, and features commentary from an array of cultural luminaries including the National Portrait Gallery’s former director Sandy Nairne and the playwright Polly Stenham.
Born in London in 1981, Nina Mae Fowler graduated with a first-class degree in sculpture from Brighton University in 2003. She lives and works in Norfolk. Recent solo exhibitions include Cob Gallery, London (2017, 2015 & 2013); Galerie Dukan, Leipzig, Germany (2014); 18 Hewett St., London (2013); Dukan Hourdequin, Paris (2011); Dukan Hourdequin, Lyon, France (2009). She has also shown in group exhibitions such as Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Palm Springs, USA (2016); art now Gallery, Berlin (2016); ‘Artists of the Colony Room (1948-2008), England & Co., London (2014); National Portrait Gallery, London (2014); ‘Starke Frauen’, Neue Kunstverein Aschaffenburg, Germany (2013); Contemporary by Angela Li, Hong Kong (2012); Dukan Hourdequin, Marseille, France (2010). Nina has been shortlisted for numerous prestigious prizes and awards, including the Jerwood Drawing Prize (2015 & 2010), Aesthetica Art Prize (2014), Drawing Now Award (2014), Young Masters Prize (2012) and the BP Portrait Award (2008).