SKATER : Published by KEHRER VERLAG
Nikki Toole is a Scottish photographer based in Paris whose work bridges the worlds of fine art and popular culture. Drawing on a background in cinematography from her studies in London and Edinburgh, her photographs are marked by rich atmosphere, precise composition, and an emotional resonance that connects personal narrative with broader cultural themes.
Best known for Skater—a portrait series capturing over 300 skateboarders across six countries—Toole turns her lens toward youth, alternative and underground subcultures. Rather than focusing on surface aesthetics or spectacle, she documents the quiet, often unseen moments of introspection within these communities. The result is a body of work that elevates subcultural identity into the realm of high art, while staying deeply grounded in lived experience.
Through this lens, Toole’s portraits function as both social document and conceptual inquiry—examining how people, especially those on the margins, construct identity, intimacy, and belonging. Her ability to move between the language of contemporary art and the codes of popular culture allows her work to resonate across disciplines and audiences.
Beyond the subcultures of youth, Toole also documents spaces and groups often overlooked or hidden from view—from the early-morning rituals of Smithfield’s butchers in London to stark, uninhabitable landscapes that reflect psychological or social isolation. Her photography moves fluidly between the intimate and the expansive, always grounded in a fascination with how people—and places—embody identity, labour, memory, and resilience.
Her photographs have been exhibited internationally and are held in major public and private collections. She has been a five-time finalist in the National Photographic Portrait Prize and a 2020 finalist in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at London’s National Portrait Gallery. Toole also lectures on photography and cultural identity across Europe, Australia and the U.S.
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