Nick Potter

Nick Potter is a Professor in the Department of Art, Design, and Art History at California State University, Fresno. He holds a BA from Cheltenham College of Art and an MFA from Birmingham School of Art, and has taught all levels of undergraduate and graduate painting, undergraduate drawing, graduate seminars, and the London Study Abroad program (London: Art and Empire).

• Education: BA (Cheltenham College of Art), MFA (Birmingham School of Art)

Potter’s research explores modernist architectural spaces, images of power, class, materialism, and existential fears. His work critiques the seductive allure of artificial utopias, juxtaposing themes of dystopia and futurism, often referencing climate change, political upheaval, and the ideological contradictions of architecture. Influences include Oscar Niemeyer, Le Corbusier, and J.G. Ballard.

His 2019 solo exhibition at the Fresno Art Museum, "Constructed Utopias," highlighted his focus on pristine yet foreboding modernist environments, drawing comparisons to Edward Hopper’s isolation motifs and David Hockney’s California paintings. Potter’s art interrogates the failure of modernist ideals to fulfill human desires, blending realism with ambiguous, unsettling narratives.