Innovation and creativity has no limit and Nicklas Hultman, a Senior Art Director, based in Haslev, Denmark reflects it in the best form. His Instagram profile @nicklas.h with more than 3k posts celebrate ‘Baroque Ikebana’ an artistic expression, where he combines everyday mass-produced 
objects like sneakers, socks, hammers, bricks, a showerhead, beer cans, rugs, or cleaning products along with floral arrangements and presents it in the form of a photo series. TMM talks to him to know more about the unique art form and his perspective.
Tell us about yourself.
I am Nicklas Hultman, an extremely visual person. Whatever I do I always tend to float away in my own thoughts and visual world. My mom was a florist, and my grandfather was a potter here in Denmark, so creative thinking has always been close to my heart. I have studied Textile Art (BFA) and Graphic Design (MFA) and I have worked in advertising agencies for several years around the world. Alongside my advertising job, I have always developed my own visual expression. I find communication very interesting, and how that visually takes form in our society.
How and when “Baroque Ikebana” happen to you?
The Baroque Ikebana project started without me actually knowing it when I lived in Shanghai (China) for five years.
I observed the heavy consumption of everyday products without people having recycling or sustainability in mind. When I later moved to Denmark, I saw the same consumption and the frequent use of single-use plastic. So, I wanted to 
make a comment on that but not in a doomsday manner or by telling people what to do. Instead, I wanted to make something beautiful with the everyday trash/objects we take for granted.
I have always been inspired by the Baroque art era and later the Japanese art form Ikebana. The Baroque paintings are “more is more” – food, textile, flowers, animals, etc. There are always dramatic lighting and hidden meanings. Ikebana is the opposite. It is a minimalistic and respectful use of flowers and life. By combining these two art expressions I created my own world with my own rules. Every image must have these three elements: something manmade, a plant, and something you can eat or drink.
Just like the Dutch masters, I highlight specific parts of the images. This is done through collages with 20 to 70 images. All to enhance different structures, objects, and colors. Images with moving elements, such as smoke, candles, and liquid require the most images.
When it comes to creating art installations, what inspires you?
I have always been inspired by Old Dutch paintings. I admire the way painters such as Willem Kalf work with props and light. I am also constantly inspired and impressed by nature. It always has a way to correct the footprint we humans leave behind, often in the most unexpected way. But I am also inspired by how fast we consume things online. An image can be viewed by thousands in a couple of seconds, I think that is amazing.
If we look at your Instagram page, you use a lot of daily household items. What inspires you to pick such items?
The project is about highlighting things we surround ourselves with. Things that are so common that we no longer see them. We use them and later throw them away. I am concerned about the environment and what we do with it. Most often we take it for granted. I want to make the viewer aware of the everyday objects, to start seeing them. But I think as soon as you start talking about the environment people get easily bored because we already know that it is bad and that we should change our behaviors and so on.
I do not want to point any fingers. I want to create something beautiful that the viewer later finds actually has a message. Someone can find themselves having a toilet brush or a pile of toothpaste on their wall. At first sight, it’s beauty, and when you actually look it has a message.
One art installation that is closest to you and why?
Well, that would be the “Flying over water” exhibition by Peter Greenaway at Malmö Konsthall (Sweden) back in 2001. I have always admired his work, both as a painter and director. So, seeing this exhibition that was about Icarus that flew to close to the sun was mind-bending. Another exhibition that really touched me is the Takashi Murakami at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo (Japan), 2015. He is a modern-day art avantgardist.
How do you see social media as a tool to promote your art?
I think social media is a great way to reach an enormous audience – an image can travel the world in seconds. Early on I started to use #s in languages that are spoken in countries that I admire their visual expression. And by doing this I reached a completely new audience. Not only did I find new artists that I myself find inspiring. I also appeared among 
creators that I normally wouldn’t be next to.
But there is also a “downside” to social media as an art platform. There are a lot of algorithms to keep track of, and every platform wants you to provide a lot of quality content, often. So, you have to make the platform work for you, in the phase you are comfortable with, not the other way around.
Any Indian artist you would like to work with and why?
One of my favorites is the British Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor. I have seen several of his pieces around the world – The Bean in Chicago, the Sky Mirror in Seoul and his solo exhibition in Berlin 2013. I also really like Thukral and Tagra, their visuals are truly amazing. All three of these artists are truly inspiring and I believe that when creative minds come together unexpected things happen.
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