About the Artist

Spellboda, an Old English word meaning messenger or “word-bearer”, is the name under which Ethan Nixon creates his art. Tattooed on his arm, he literally bears that word which has become a symbol of what he strives to achieve in his work as an artist, printmaker, photographer, and writer.

Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the United States, Ethan relocated to Reykjavík, Iceland in 2022 and has lived in Europe ever since. While currently based in Bayreuth, Germany, he remains closely engaged with the political and social landscape of his country of origin. When direct involvement in civil action proved difficult after immigrating, he turned to art as a form of connection and action, drawing on a long tradition of other creative activists.

Ethan takes stylistic and conceptual inspiration from artists such as Elizabeth Catlett, Frans Masereel, and AJIMAL as well as other creatives who sought to engage with their own cultures and communities through art as a means of civil action, protest, and public witness. Although no longer religious, he draws from his time in the Evangelical Church to infuse Christian imagery into his art. Referencing scattered ideas from widely varied sources such as music, pottery, film, interior design, sculpture, and architecture, he blends concepts together much like a beatmaker or curator. His creative process often begins with lingering images or elements that slowly evolve into fuller works, sometimes over the course of years.

Through Spellboda, Ethan seeks to use his art as a means of delivering the message he bears and of exploring the tension between personal experience, national identity, moral responsibility, authentic empathy, and, most of all, kindness.