HUMXN+
neoteny
niːˈɒt(ə)ni/
the retention of childlike characteristics in the adult
NEO 10Y (Nik Thakkar) is a multidisciplinary British artist whose practice traverses contemporary music, performance, moving image, fashion, technology and cultural activism. Working at the intersection of identity, spirituality and social transformation, his work challenges conventional boundaries between contemporary art, popular culture and performance. His practice explores sound, image, embodiment and immersive experience as interconnected forms of cultural expression, informed by South Asian philosophy, queer identity and visions of collective transformation.
His interdisciplinary trajectory encompasses collaborations with Jean Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford, Versace, Karl Lagerfeld and will.i.am, including the creation of the world’s first camera-enabled biker jacket. With Ada + Nik, he received the GenArt Prize at New York Fashion Week, while in 2012 Time Out named Thakkar among the UK’s Top 100 Creatives. His work has been recognised internationally by Billboard, Rolling Stone, Dazed, GQ, PAPER, COLORS, BBC, Interview Magazine and others.
His institutional and public-art practice includes presentation at the National Maritime Museum as part of Royal Museums Greenwich’s Pioneers: A Renaissance in South Asian Creativity, alongside a performance for the Museum’s Shine Your Light Diwali programme. He has contributed to Oral Histories for the National Lottery Heritage Fund, presented at Chiswick House, and staged a one-night pop-up exhibition at Soho Revue Gallery, supported by Givenchy. From 2024–2026, his portrait was featured in Trafalgar Square in connection with Teresa Margolles’ Fourth Plinth commission, 850 Improntas (850 Imprints), a major public artwork addressing trans, non-binary and gender-nonconforming lives.
NEO 10Y’s live work takes the form of 360-degree immersive experiences, presented across concert venues, galleries, festivals and cultural spaces in London, Europe and the United States, including the Roundhouse and UK Black Pride. His practice continues to expand across music, visual art, performance and technology, creating spaces for cultural dialogue, spiritual inquiry, identity and collective transformation.
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