Livy Nelson is a multidisciplinary artist from the UK, currently living in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Her work is a vivid exploration of environmental issues, mythology and sub-culture symbology with a focus on contrast in both colour and subject. She examines these areas predominately through paintings but seeks to explore other visual languages, using them to reflect the subject. Livy’s work asks the viewer to slow down and take a closer look, aiming to create space for personal and emotive thoughts.
Born in Italy, her formative years were spent by the coast. The contrasting colours in her work are a reflection of these years, the heat creating hot pink flowers that vibrated against an electric blue sky. From there she and her family moved first to the forests of Scotland, then to the mountains of France and finally to the coastal city of Brighton, England.
Through these different landscapes, Livy developed an interest for cultural symbolism, subcultures as well as love for the natural world. Her passion for the environment can be seen in her work and is leading her to push for a more sustainable art practice, both by using her visual language as a tool for change as well as searching for different mediums.
Livy holds a Masters in Illustration from Portsmouth University during which time she was awarded the Santander Travel Grant which allowed her to study the mountainous landscapes of Grindelwald, Switzerland. She has exhibited in multiple group and solo exhibitions in the UK and Vietnam as well as curating shows and fundraising for causes and charities such as All Hand All Hearts - Australia Bushfire Relief, Blue Dragon and Keep Vietnam Clean.
Projects
- Custom Painted HelmetI had been wanting to paint my bike helmet since arriving in Vietnam but wanted to paint it with enamel paint. After about a year of trying to source this paint in various colours lockdown hit. With no luck on the enamel front and with so much time on my hand I decided to just get on with it! After marking out and lightly sanding I went ahead with acrylic paint sealed with a varnish. Vietnam's main mode of transport are bikes of varying kinds, mainly motorbikes and scooters. Since posting this
- DECAY Exhibition, HanoiOrganised and curated this intentional exhibition under the banner of Rise Collective. Exhibition hosted by Arch in Hanoi, Vetnam. Showcasing art from all around the world from New Zealand to The Netherlands as well as local artists work. Exhibition in aid of Blue Dragon Children's Foundation who do great work across Vietnam. Poster design and all other promotional material created by me.
- Hyena BiancoMy most recent painting, 14x18” Acrylic on Canvas. According to legend, Ernie wondered the desert after leaving the hyena pack. Something about him was very different. He sought the wolves, he asked the goblins, he found the domesticated canines but he just didn’t fit in. He howled like a banshee towards the sky, perhaps crying out “why am I so alone?” The sun began to change. A nose appeared. “I too was outcast. I will join you and together we will find our place.”
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Projects credited in
- CLUSTERCLUSTER is a collaborative pop-up initiative from East London. Its main goal is to create a global community of artists and industry professionals where we will initiate collaborations, conversations, encourage projects and most importantly we will give as much as support we can to all artists out there.
Work history
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Workshop LeaderAspex’s Gallery
Portsmouth, United KingdomFreelance
Preparing and leading workshops for Family Saturday’s at Aspex Gallery. Family members of all ages and abilities are encouraged to make artwork through loose ideas and by experimenting with new materials.
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Creative DesignerCurious Book Co.
Ruislip, United KingdomFull Time
Head of digital marketing through newsletters and social media. Heat press printing bespoke notebooks for large companies as well as designing.
Skills
- Painting
- Painting Illustration
- Illustration
- Mural Painting
- Sculpture
- Poster Art
- Adobe Photoshop
- Screen Printing
- Creating
- Event Curation
Education
Awards
Santander Mobility AwardSantander
I received the Santander Mobility Award to help me with my research into the “sublime”. It allowed me to visit the Swiss Alps where this idea first developed and gave me the chance to make first hand observational sketches.A
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Silver Arts AwardArtsAward.org