Nicki Cherry’s practice embraces the awkward and absurd to explore the frequent discomfort that comes with being a body. Their monstrous fiberglass and concrete sculptures incorporate active systems of growth and decay—tulips bloom from stretching tendrils, ceramic bodies leak milky fluids, spine-shaped candles burn and diffuse scent.
After initially studying to become a particle physicist, Cherry received their BA from the University of Chicago in 2014 and their MFA from Yale School of Art in 2019. Cherry’s work has been presented internationally at venues including NARS Foundation, The Bronx Museum, Border Gallery, Flux Factory, and GHOSTMACHINE in New York; Capsule Venice in Italy; AUTOMAT and Icebox Project Space in Philadelphia; the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts and Slow Dance in Chicago. Their work has been written about in the Brooklyn Rail, the Washington Post, Hyperallergic, Newcity Magazine, the Chicago Reader, and ArteFuse. They have received grants from Café Royal Cultural Foundation, the Queens Council on the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. They have completed residencies at Surf Point Foundation in Maine, Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, the Bronx Museum of Arts, and NARS Foundation in Brooklyn. Cherry lives and works in Queens, NY.
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