SKATER : Published by KEHRER VERLAG
Nikki Toole is a Scottish photographer currently based in Paris. She studied film and photography in London and Edinburgh, and her background in cinematography informs her photographic style, marked by strong composition, emotional depth, and a cinematic use of light and atmosphere.
She is best known for her internationally recognized portrait series "Skater", which features over 300 skateboarders photographed across Australia, the UK, the US, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Rather than focusing on the sport itself, she captures skaters in quiet, contemplative moments, revealing a meditative and introspective side of the subculture. The series explores themes of identity, belonging, and internal experience within global communities.A hallmark of her work is how she blurs the line between fine art and documentary. Her portraits are rooted in real lives and subcultures, yet they are composed with a conceptual and aesthetic sensibility that invites deeper reflection. This fusion creates emotionally resonant images that speak both to personal narrative and universal themes.
Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in collections around the world. She has been a five-time finalist in the National Photographic Portrait Prize and served as a guest judge in 2015. She also lectures on photography, identity, and culture across Europe and the U.S. In 2015 her series Skater had a solo show at The National Portrait Gallery of Australia. In 2015 the project was published by Kehrer Verlag in Germany and is distributed worldwide. In 2020 she was a finalist in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize at the National Portrait Gallery in London.2023 NPG Commission. Portrait 23 Identity. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2020 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. National Portrait Gallery. London. UK
2020 The Look : Group Show. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2020 The Look : Group Show. Geelong Gallery of Art. Australia
2019 Express Yourself : Group Show. National Portrait Gallery. On Tour
2018 Express Yourself : Group Show. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2018 NPG Commission. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2016 NPG Commission. Piermarq Gallery. Sydney. Australia
2015 Cassiopea. SMT. Berlin Germany
2014 National Portrait Prize. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2013 Skater. Solo Show. Horsham Gallery of Art. Australia
2012 Skater. Solo Show. Geelong Gallery of Art. Australia
2012 Skater. Solo Show. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2012 National Portrait Prize. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2012 Suck My Trucks : Skater. Berlin. Germany
2010 Head On. ACP. Sydney. Australia
2010 National Portrait Prize. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2009 National Portrait Prize. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2007 National Portrait Prize. National Portrait Gallery. Australia
2007 Bodyshow / Missing. BSG. Melbourne. Australia
2006 Incline. Solo Show. Collingwood Gallery. Melbourne. Australia
Courtaulds Institute of Art. UK Missing. London. UK
Cultural identities. Fruitmarket Gallery. Edinburgh. UK
After The Silence. Solo Show. Rush Gallery. London. UK
After The Silence. Portfolio Gallery. Edinburgh. UK
After The Silence. Smiths Gallery. London. UK
Women and Water. Odette Gilbert Gallery. Cork St. London. UK