Artist Statement/ Biography

Nicki Cherry builds up monstrous figurative forms with pigmented concrete, fiberglass, wax, and resin. Their works are active sites of growth and decay—tulips bloom from stretching tendrils, ceramic bodies leak milky fluids, spine-shaped candles burn and diffuse scent. The attention to surface detail in their sculptures mirrors how the condition of human skin can externalize illness or emotional states. Cherry punctuates these alien forms with recognizable objects: sculptures are placed on medical stools, tethered to visible circulation systems, and adorned with bandaids and back-braces. By embracing the awkward and absurd as well as externalizing their physical and mental states, Cherry’s sculptures invite a connection between themselves and the viewer. Through this bond, their work offers the potential for healing and kinship.

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Nicki Cherry (they/she) is a nonbinary artist born in the Midwest and based in New York. After initially studying to become a particle physicist, Cherry received their MFA from Yale School of Art in 2019 and their BA from the University of Chicago in 2014. They presented a solo exhibition at the Border Project Space in July 2021. Group exhibitions include Flux Factory, ELM Foundation and Shin Gallery in New York; AUTOMAT and Icebox Project Space in Philadelphia; and the Reva David Logan Center for the Arts, and Slate Arts and Performance in Chicago. Cherry’s work has been featured in Arte Fuse, Coastal Post, Art of Choice, and Floorr Magazine. Cherry is a 2022 AIM Fellow at the Bronx Museum of Arts.

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