Nailphilia – The nail world and Art world collide
Down a little backstreet in East London lay one of the most interesting exhibitions I have been to in a long time.
Nailphilia showcases the latest and greatest in nail art and design; from big names like Minx, Cheap Monday and industry veteran Sue Marsh to newer, break through talent.
Bold, artistic nails may be big news trend-wise and we’re all having a crack at it, but when viewing at the talent on display at Nailphilia it is completely impossible to overlook the sheer amount of skill there is behind creating a truly mind-blowing illustration on a canvas as tiny as a fingernail.
Sue Marsh – Goldfish Mural style 2D (illustration of continuity)
Nails inspired by paintings and other works of art adorned the walls, with the miniature duplicate displayed next to the actual piece that it motivated its creation.
Painting – Andy Owen ‘Transience’, Nails – Sophie Harris-Greenslade
Painting – Sophie Derrick ‘Pink Again’, Nails – Sophie Harris-Greenslade
Digital Photo Collage – Moses Powers ‘Tribal Triptych’, Nails – Sophie Harris-Greenslade
These wheels of perfectly decorated nails by The Illustrated Nail were truly spectacular:
Sophie Harris-Greenslade from The Illustrated Nail
A case of collected works by Sue Marsh displayed the sheer variety of what could be achieved with a little imagination (and a lot of skill):
Sue Marsh – collected works
Marsh has worked with the best of the fashion industry giants – from Alexander McQueen to Swarovski and beyond – she is truly one of the greatest examples of nail art as a fine craft.
Megumi Mizuno
Also on display were audio and video from ShowStudio (with plenty of gratuitous smoking), Cheap Monday show pieces and a Minx ‘Handelier’.
Cheap Monday – Nail Necklace // Video and Audio installations – Marian Newman, and Nick Knight courtesy of ShowStudio
Minx – ‘Handelier’
I also loved the tongue-in-cheek hoof art by Sophy Robson:
’5x Untitled Paws’ Photography by Kellie French and Gary Anderson. Nails by Sophy Robson
Suitably inspired; I’m off to paint my nails now.