A signature material of the ultramodern, plastic is produced from an ancient ‘primordial’ material of liquid carbon. Much of Nicholson’s work makes use of the medium’s origin, whether conceptually or technically. Thematically, the ‘real’ subject of Nicholson’s work is undoubtedly light, the energy that makes everything visible, and our evolving human relationship to it.

Since graduating from the College of Fine Arts in Sydney, Nicholson has exhibited widely in Melbourne and Sydney.

He has held studio residencies at the Bundanon Trust Artist Centre and at OMI International Art Centre in New York. In collaboration with microbiologist Kathy Takayama, he produced the Symbiotic Bacterial Light project, which was exhibited at Canberra Contemporary Art Space as part of National Science Week.

His works are held in public and private collections in Australia and overseas, including Artbank, Deutsche Bank, the University of Queensland Art Museum, Mirvac Corporation, Bond University and Penrith Regional Gallery, as well as in the collections of Goyang City in Seoul and OMI Arts Centre in New York.

He has been a finalist on consecutive occasions in numerous art and sculpture awards including the Deakin University Small Sculpture Award, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, the Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award, and the McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Survey and Award.