Bio
Nicolas Canal Tinius (b.1994, USA and Spain) is an artist, designer and researcher with an archival and historiographic focus.
He transitioned into fine art from industrial design after completing an apprenticeship with Italy’s representative at the 2009 Venice Biennale, Aron Demetz, and in 2018 earned a BA in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins. As a student, he directed a short film in collaboration with LVMH for NOWNESS (https://www.nowness.com/series/luxury-x-sustainability/la-bicicleta-el-violin-nicolas-canal); exhibited a sound installation at the Tate Exchange with the Tate Modern; and participated in a three-month residency at the British Museum within its paper-works archive, handling works by prolific artists ranging from Leonardo da Vinci to Cornelia Parker. He delved into cinema further at the University of Cambridge and received an MPhil in Film and Screen Studies in 2019.
He has also received the Phoebe Llewellyn Smith Scholarship, and won the UAL Olympus Photography Award in Multimedia, and therefore was granted at a month-long exhibit at the Art Bermondsey Project Space in London. He was most recently nominated for the MullenLowe NOVA Award for his on-site archival work in Cuba’s cinemas; and, thanks to this project, was awarded a grant from the prestigious MEAD Fellowship to develop his practice in the United States, where he is exploring the problematics of collective memory within Southern identity and heritage.
Education
University of Cambridge, UK
Master’s in Philosophy (Film and Screen Studies), 2018-2019
Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts, London), UK
Bachelor’s in Fine Art, 2015-2018
Foundation in Art and Design, 2014-2015
Solo Exhibitions
2022
“Americanitis,” Studio Mondragon, San Angel Inn, Mexico City, Mexico
Group Exhibitions
2018
“Creative Unions,” London Design Festival, Lethaby Gallery, London, UK
“Neo Norte,” Fundacion de Cultura Providencia, Santiago, Chile
“Bicycle Film Festival, Cinematic Shorts,” Hackney Picturehouse, London, UK
“Bicycle Film Festival, Cinematic Shorts,” Anthology Film Archives, NYC, USA
“Degree Show One,” Central Saint Martins, London, UK
“Degree Show Two,” Central Saint Martins, London, UK
“Latin American Myth Deconstruction,” Crypt Gallery, London, UK
“Temporalities,” Lethaby Gallery, London, UK
“Olympus UK Photography Award,” Art Bermondsey Project Space, London, UK
2017
“Solus,” Chalton Gallery, London, UK
“Creative Unions,” London Design Week, Lethaby Gallery, London, UK
“Luxury x Sustainability: La Bicicleta, El Violin,” NOWNESS.com, London, UK
“This is an Art School,” TATE Exchange, TATE Modern, London, UK
2015
“Foundation Show,” Central Saint Martins, London, UK
Awards/Nominations
2019
Awarded: GGF Grant/Commission, Monterrey, Mexico
Awarded: MEAD Fellowship, Central Saint Martins, London, UK
Shortlisted: Bloomberg New Contemporaries, South London Gallery, London, UK
2018
Shortlisted: MEAD Fellowship, Central Saint Martins, London, UK
Nominated: MullenLowe NOVA Award, “Teatro Canal,” Degree Show One, Central Saint Martins, London, UK
Shortlisted: MullenLowe NOVA Award, “Foreign Garbage” (Katie-May Boyd), Degree Show Two, Central Saint Martins, London, UK
2017
Winner: “Phoebe Llewellyn Smith Award,” Central Saint Martins, London, UK
2015
“Ones to Watch from Foundation 2015,” Central Saint Martins, London, UK
Press
2020
https://terremoto.mx/💥-10-finalist-1st-terremoto-x-ubisoft-residency-program/
2019
https://themeadfamilyfoundation.org/philanthropy/ual-mead-final-project-awards/overview/
2018
https://project-space.london/coming-soon-ual-olympus-uk-photography-award-2018-second-edition
2017
https://blog.britishmuseum.org/drawn-together-how-the-museums-collection-inspires-students/
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/tate-exchange/workshop/art-school
https://www.nowness.com/series/luxury-x-sustainability/la-bicicleta-el-violin-nicolas-canal
2015
https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/press-office/stories/ones-to-watch-from-foundation-2015
Work Experience
2019
Resident Filmmaker/Documentarian – Sociology Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
2018
Gallery Manager – UNSEEN Amsterdam, Netherlands
Freelance Music Video Director
Film Set Runner – Honda, Barcelona, Spain
2017
Gallery Manager – UNSEEN Amsterdam, Netherlands
Film Director/Producer, NOWNESS, London, UK
2014
Apprentice – Aron Demetz, Selva Gardena, Italy