artist/ Nano Abia
Espagne
Born in Vigo, Spain, in 1978, Nano currently lives and works in Madrid.
His practice moves freely across multiple disciplines — including painting, sculpture, installation, and mural work — often bringing several of these mediums together within a single piece. Rooted in an intuitive approach, his compositions evolve from figurative and anthropomorphic references toward increasingly abstract forms. Fragments of bodies overlap, intertwine, and balance precariously, creating unstable visual structures. In his most recent works, the human figure undergoes a process of distortion and fragmentation, reduced to isolated elements such as eyes, mouths, or noses that intensify the sensation of abstraction.
Nano constructs dreamlike environments populated by recurring symbolic motifs: brick walls, wire fences, broken wooden barriers, and other elements associated with intrusion or transgression. These objects function almost like masks or screens, simultaneously concealing and revealing. They hint at hidden narratives without ever fully exposing them, creating an ambiguity that lies at the core of his artistic language.
After studying Fine Arts and completing a formative period in London at renowned institutions including Saint Martins School of Art and the London College of Printing, he settled in Madrid in 2004. There, he developed his artistic career through exhibitions, collaborative projects, and interventions both in Spain and internationally. His work integrates his experience in urban environments while exploring personal themes within unsettling and often enigmatic contexts.
Among the major projects and exhibitions in which Nano has participated are Planet Prozess in Berlin, Urbanitas at the MARCO Museum in Vigo, Street Art at the Tate Modern in London, Crossing Borders / Crossing Boundaries at the SAM Museum in Saint Petersburg, and Venturing Beyond at Somerset House in London, among many others.
Nano is also a member of the collective Equipo Plástico, alongside Eltono, Sixe Paredes, and Nuria Mora.
