Rooney, Nick

Nick Rooney was born in Calgary in 1989. He earned his Master of Arts in Painting from the University of the Arts London, at the Camberwell College of Arts in England, graduating in 2020. Rooney’s early career was spent focusing on the meticulous craft of oil painting while developing a contemporary art practice deeply rooted in art historical influences.

Currently, Rooney's studio work and research delve into the relationship between geometric minimalism and the complexity of classical realism. He explores how painting as a visual language can produce such seemingly contradictory results—between the convincing illusion of realism and the extreme simplicity of flat shapes.

In Rooney’s paintings, the search for a balance of geometric forms and space sparks a dialogue for him to create and explore environments that are rooted in transitions, and where tension and pressure often reside. His subjects, thus removed from any traditional setting and context are denied a stable footing in space; the resulting tension between the realism in his animals or classical still-lifes, and the minimalism of geometric shapes invites viewers to examine how we attach meaning to things in the world around us.

Nick Rooney’s work has been shown in exhibitions locally and internationally, notably, having been selected to show in the Saatchi Gallery’s London Grads Now exhibition. He now resides in Calgary, Alberta where he is an instructor at the University of Calgary and the Alberta University of the Arts.