Nils Karsten

Vertrauensfrage – Graphite collage, by Nils Karsten
VertrauensfrageGraphite collage
Ausweichmanöver – Graphite collage, by Nils Karsten
AusweichmanöverGraphite collage

I don’t start with ideas. I start with attention. Ideas come later.

Biography
Nils Karsten carving a large woodblock in his studio
In the studioBrooklyn, New York

Carving History

Images carried through time, carved into wood, and brought into the present.

Holidays in the Sun – Woodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2026, by Nils Karsten
Holidays in the SunWoodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2026
Uwe Barschel – Woodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2026, by Nils Karsten
Uwe BarschelWoodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2026
Family – Woodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2024, by Nils Karsten
FamilyWoodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2024
Rage – Woodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2013, by Nils Karsten
RageWoodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2013
Motörhead – Woodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2025, by Nils Karsten
MotörheadWoodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2025
Tankman – Woodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2023, by Nils Karsten
TankmanWoodblock print on paper · 66 x 66 in (167.6 x 167.6 cm) · 2023
Recent work

Into the landscape

From carved block to impression. From the studio into the sand.

Holbein Skeleton – Carved woodblock, oil on wood · 30 x 13 in (76.2 x 33.0 cm) · 2021 · Wadden Sea, by Nils Karsten
Holbein SkeletonCarved woodblock, oil on wood · 30 x 13 in (76.2 x 33.0 cm) · 2021 · Wadden Sea
Three Times – Sand and carved woodblock, temporary impressions made in the Wadden Sea, northern Germany · approx. 32 x 64 in (approx. 81 x 163 cm) · 2021, by Nils Karsten
Three TimesSand and carved woodblock, temporary impressions made in the Wadden Sea, northern Germany · approx. 32 x 64 in (approx. 81 x 163 cm) · 2021
Sand

Pencil

Drawings in graphite and watercolor.

My Life, Lite – Pencil on paper · 14 x 11 in (35.6 x 27.9 cm) · 2026, by Nils Karsten
My Life, LitePencil on paper · 14 x 11 in (35.6 x 27.9 cm) · 2026
Heaven – Pencil on paper · 14 x 11 in (35.6 x 27.9 cm) · 2006, by Nils Karsten
HeavenPencil on paper · 14 x 11 in (35.6 x 27.9 cm) · 2006
Batman's Future (Pregnant) – Pencil on paper · 12 x 9 in (30.5 x 22.9 cm) · 1998, by Nils Karsten
Batman's Future (Pregnant)Pencil on paper · 12 x 9 in (30.5 x 22.9 cm) · 1998
All drawings

On the wall

Cutting Room – Installation view · Pearl Lam Galleries, Hong Kong, 2015, by Nils Karsten
Cutting RoomInstallation view · Pearl Lam Galleries, Hong Kong, 2015
Out of Nowhere – Installation view · Ubu Gallery, New York, 2025, by Nils Karsten
Out of NowhereInstallation view · Ubu Gallery, New York, 2025
  • 2026The World Is The Work, benefit auction and exhibition, The Drawing Center, New York, NY
  • 2026DRAW: Language of the Hand / Broken Links, Blue Galleries, Boise State University, Boise, ID — participating artist; co-curator of Broken Links
  • 2026still utopia: broken links, curated by Aga Ousseinov, Simonetta Moro, Brian Novatny, Nils Karsten, Held Line Space with Gallery MC, New York, NY
  • 2025Nils Karsten – Out of Nowhere, Ubu Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
All exhibitions
Nils Karsten: Out of Nowhere – the book

Publication

Out of Nowhere

Silence Taking Shape – 25 years of work, published by Snap Collective.

About the book