Andrew Nicholls has a love affair with the camp. His illustrative work is an exercise in the subtly outrageous, fuelled by an appropriation of the nostalgic. The final images are warped slightly through rendition and perspective, the overall effect one of subverted reminiscence.

Now it seems Nicholls is set to cement his career further with the launch of his catalogue, LOVE ANDREW NICHOLLS, the title taken from his third solo show of the same name, held back in 2001.

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‘It contained all the major themes that I would go on to explore in embryonic form,’ Nicholls told OUTinPerth, ‘so it seemed appropriate to use it again in a retrospective context.

‘(It also) relates strongly to the ambiguous space I like to occupy in my work, it’s sort of torn between benevolence and degradation – partly a statement of generosity and partly a plea for acceptance.’

For those unfamiliar with Nicholls work it borrows heavily from historical artworks, Victoriana and also classic china patterning. These elements are reconfigured into his own composition, imbued throughout with references to queer culture and overt statements, subtle references or clever puns. At times one could almost say that – within Nicholls’ work – high meets low and they both get really drunk, waking naked in bed together.

Everything is rendered in archival ink and is copied by hand and eye. ‘Nothing is traced or projected, so there’s a certain level of distortion that takes place. (T)he works are generally very detailed and excessive, but hopefully there’s a slight feeling of unease to them, a sense that something’s not quite right’

At current, Nicholls’ work deals with the notion of mortification, of being shocked by what the self does while under the influence of alcohol or youth. ‘I’m especially interested in delving into my past, into my adolescence when my sexuality was really establishing itself, for me, that’s rich territory to explore.

‘A good example is my drawing Wild Man which is a composite image of various 1980s beefcake models – that genre is widely viewed as kitschy and kind of grotesque now but it holds an erotic charge for me because it was the only type of eroticized imagery of male bodies I could access in my early teens.

‘That work is a tribute to an aesthetic that is now considered to be “low”: it privileges a style that is now largely excluded from culture. But at the same time it’s sort of embarrassed about itself.’

This subtle infatuation with pornography appears again in Nicholls large scale work which appears at award-winning Kings Street fashion boutique Zekka. Here, an image of porn legend Kurt Stefano floats amid a nostalgic embrace of flora and whimsy.

‘It’s quite a strange work,’ Nicholls said of the Zekka commission. ‘I tend to struggle with commissions because I prefer to follow my own whims, so it was difficult to get started and I ended up covering over most of my first week’s worth of drawing.

‘Since then it has aged, parts of it have faded (despite being drawn in archival ink) so it sort of has a life of its own. It still feels very much in-progress and I like the idea that I can keep working on it indefinitely. It has allowed me to test out ideas.’

Nicholls has recently returned from a retrospective show in Sydney a series of new works in Canberra, the latter a venture into ceramics resulting from a collaboration between Nicholls and ceramics companies in Australia and the UK, particularly the Spode Factory.

But it’s the catalogue that has the Perth art scene abuzz. ‘The catalogue documents a decade of drawn works, including works on paper, on walls, on ceramics and on film. It’s divided into 6 sections, each dealing with a different theme I’ve explored in my work over the past ten years.

Within it there are essays by curators Suzie Attiwill (RMIT University, Vic), Robert Cook (Art Gallery of WA) and Travis Kelleher (ECU, Mt. Lawley), while the foreword is written by Professor Lee Edelman from Tufts University in Massachusetts.

‘Lee’s involvement is particularly exciting,’ Nicholls explained. ‘He is (arguably) the most significant queer theorist since Judith Butler and has been publishing internationally since the 1970s. His book ‘No Future’ has been a major influence on my work.’

LOVE ANDREW NICHOLLS is a limited edition book, designed by Block Branding, and is available from Turner Galleries, Zekka, Planet Books, Boutwell Draper Gallery in Sydney and Craft ACT in Canberra, the latter where his Blue Australian show is currently on until October 17. www.turnergalleries.com.au

Scott-Patrick Mitchell