Tomislav-Nikolic

TOMISLAV NIKOLIC
codice chronicles + vibration translations
31 May – 28 June 2025

STATION | MELBOURNE

STATION is delighted to present codice chronicles + vibration translations by Tomislav Nikolic, the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery.

Tomislav Nikolic has a finely tuned ability to express the spirit and power of colour through abstraction. Drawing inspiration from both everyday life and the great masters, Nikolic distils and reinterprets these influences into emotionally resonant works that feel both intimate and expansive.

codice chronicles + vibrant translations presents two new bodies of work that delve deeper into the artist’s ongoing exploration of symbolic systems and metaphysical inquiry. The word ‘codice’ evokes an ancient system of communication; an idea that deeply resonates with Nikolic’s practice, which often explores how humans attempt to decode and assign meaning to forces beyond our comprehension. In his twelve painting series, the artist turns to astrological beliefs and their elemental divisions—earth, water, fire, and air—as one of many frameworks humans have constructed to rationalise the mysteries of the universe. These symbolic systems speak to a timeless and deeply human impulse that is the desire to impose coherence on the unknowable, and to ultimately locate ourselves amidst the cosmos. Through this lens, Nikolic’s paintings become meditative spaces, prompting viewers to reflect on their own cosmic insignificance amidst the vast and unfathomable expanse of the infinite.

Stylistically, the colour palettes are drawn from a selection of late still lifes by French Impressionist, Édouard Manet. Through the meticulous layering of hundreds of thin, translucent veils of pigment, Nikolic builds complex colour fields that hum with subtle vibrancy. While each work radiates with a variety of pigmented colours, the tonal sensitivity calls back to the softness and delicacy found in Manet’s final works.

The exhibition is anchored by new sculptural works, titled Alpha, Sigma, and Omega, letters of the Greek alphabet that signal beginnings, liminality, and endings. These forms extend Nikolic’s interest in archetypes and the ways individuals locate themselves within larger systems of meaning. Resting on solid bronze feet, the sculptures carry a visual and physical weight, prompting viewers to consider their own bodily presence in relation to the object, and by extension, their own role in the universe.

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Installation Views

Artworks

Tomislav Nikolic
March 21 - April 19 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 22ct gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
77.9 × 67.8 × 10.4 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
April 20 - May 20 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 22ct rose gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
71.2 × 51.1 × 8.5 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
May 21 - June 20 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 13.2ct white gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
51.0 × 43.6 × 12.0 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
June 21 - July 22 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 22ct gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
75.5 × 54.5 × 10.5 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
July 23 - August 22 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 22ct rose gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
74.5 × 54.5 × 10.0 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
August 23 - September 22 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 13.2 white gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
47.3 × 41.8 × 9.6 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
September 23 - October 22 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 22ct gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
75.3 × 54.5 × 10.3 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
October 23 - November 21 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 22ct rose gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
68.2 × 48.0 × 8.8 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
November 22 - December 21 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 13.2 white gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
45.5 × 38.5 × 10.4 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
December 22 - January 19 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 22ct gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
75.2 × 55.2 × 10.1 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
January 20 - February 18 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 22ct rose gold leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
78.1 × 57.4 × 10.5 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
February 19 - March 20 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, 13.2ct white leaf, museum glass, on linen, composition and wood
62.5 × 54.3 × 16.5 cm

Tomislav Nikolic
omega + alpha 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, golden cypress and bronze
183 × 168.2 × 28.5 cm (overall)

Tomislav Nikolic
sigma 2025
synthetic polymer, marble dust, golden cypress and bronze