Intertidal Creations | DADAA Side Gallery
26 March — 21 April 2026
DADAA Fremantle
Side Gallery
Monday – Friday | 10am – 2pm
Intertidal Creations is the debut solo exhibition by DADAA studio artist Nicholas Kirkness. Inspired by a lifelong passion for fishing and a deep connection to nature, Nicholas’s work celebrates the rich biodiversity found in Western Australian waters.
Nicholas is an illustrator, sculptor, and craftsman from Fremantle, Western Australia, and a lifelong enthusiast of fishing and sea creatures. The exhibition shows a collection of his drawings and sculptures of fish, along with fishing lures that he made himself to use in his own fishing. Intricate illustrations, elaborate sculptures, and functional crafts blend utility with artistry, and reflect his two greatest passions: creativity and the water.
Artist statement
Nicholas named his exhibition Intertidal Creations because his art is inspired by his love of fishing and sea creatures. Some of these creatures are found in a place called the ‘intertidal zone.’ The intertidal zone is located in areas where the ocean meets the land, like at the beach. Nicholas loves to create art of animals that live in the intertidal zone, so he named his exhibition after them. There are many drawings and sculptures of fish in the exhibition that live in the intertidal zone, like estuary fish, surf fish, and reef fish. Other fish in the exhibition prefer to live in other places, like freshwater fish, who live upriver and in lakes, or pelagic fish, who live further out to sea, far away from shore.
Nicholas loves fish, and he loves catching them too. He grew up on the Swan River in a family of professional fishermen and boatbuilders, and learnt to fish when he was very young. Now he makes his own fishing lures to use when he goes fishing. Some of these lures are in the exhibition too, and can even be bought through his online shop, Swell Custom Creations – but be careful, the hooks are very sharp!
Nicholas can find it hard to understand verbal and nonverbal communication, but he has overcome these challenges to become a very talented artist, fisherman, and nature enthusiast. Intertidal Creations celebrates his creativity, and invites us to take a closer look at the fascinating life that lives under the water. You can find more work from Nicholas by visiting his online shop on Etsy, or by following him on Instagram, @swellcustomcreations
