Living in the Tofino , Ucluelet area, represented by Mark Penney Gallery in Ucluelet Nigel brooks Peer has recently been recognized by National Geographic.
www.nigelbrookspeer.com nigelbrookspeer@gmail.com
Throughout my life, I’ve been a free thinker and traveller, who passionately expresses through mixed media arts. I’ve explored the world for years, getting in touch with how rich and poor people live all over the world.
My travel and experiences inspire me to make art that gets people thinking about the conventions we live in, our past, our culture and our part in it.
Born April 27, 1972 in Vancouver, B.C. Took very fist picture with a disposable black and white camera when i was 6 in the redwood forest in California . I was very close to my grandfather, we share the same birthday. After he died, I picked up his camera and started using it taking photos.
Growing up in Surrey, I witnessed racial violence and saw farmland and forest change into suburban sprawl. This opened my eyes at a young age to how different cultures collide and grow together.
My whole understanding of the planet and where we are today is reflected in my art. Seeing and experiencing all different cultures through travel allowed me to understand the global picture, and how we affect the planet and each other.
After high school I went to South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore and got my first taste of world travel. I returned home to attend college studying history and philosophy, then art through sculpture and ceramics. After graduating, I continued my travels through eastern Mediterranean and Africa visiting historical sites in Egypt, Greece, Turkey and Italy.
Inspired to play with art further I attended Emily Carr focusing on ceramics sculpture . In my work I explored the juxtaposition between earth and gravity. I also experimented with crystalline glazes on ceramics . Leaded to photography for easier dialog for everyday people to challenge our understanding of international culture , modern society , and our environment .
I traveled again in Europe seeking new expression for myself. I got involved in photo documenting what was going on in countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary. I was developing my eye and becoming more of a photographer. I shot rolls and rolls of film because it felt like the right thing to do. I didn’t understand what I was doing until years later when I used these images in my current work. International Social commentary …
In the middle of art school I continued my world travels through all the major continents, doing documentary photography in India, Cambodia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Peru, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and such far off places such as Papua New Guinea, Tibet and Rapa Nui. Landing in morocco on September 11 , 2001 .
Traveling all over western Canada , exploring or culture , from the oil patch , to organic farms . Lived in work camps in the frozen north , now in small resort town Tofino .
Feeling that I have a voice that needs to be heard, I’m now fully involved in creating art though digital photography looking at the reflections we all need in our time . Recently recognized by National Geographic . Readdressing old work and digital remastering and printing with contemporary giclee print technology. I’m also getting involved in meditation, following a spiritual existence that I’ve always felt. Energetic Elemental Zen …
*Education
1998 – 2003 Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, Vancouver, B.C.
1992 – 1996 Kwantlen University College, Surrey, B.C.
