Nickie Gunning is an interdisciplinary artist currently living and working in Michigan. They are best known for their gestural ceramic sculptures that speak about the issues of body image, poverty, identity and the abject.
Nickie received an Associates Degree in Science with a Distinction in Visual Arts from Suffolk County Community College in Selden NY. They completed their B.F.A. at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at The George Washington University. Nickie received the Ceramic Rookie of the Year Award in 2014 and the Ceramic A.R.T (Ambitious Risk Taking) Award in 2015 From the Corcoran College of Art + Design. They recently acquired their M.F.A. at Cranbrook Academy of Art in May of 2021. Artist Statement
My practice plays to process abjection, a collection of gestural forms inspired by my own body’s movement, wandering through and exploring my environment. By mixing found and personal objects into my ceramic practice, I build assemblages that address identity, poverty, and body image.
Clay is thrown. After it’s fired and durable, it’s fitted with materials—hair, teeth, clothing, wood, plastic, stones, bungee cords, toy bullets, brake pads —I have accumulated these things. As I assemble all the components (referencing different parts of me), I have a dialog with the materials, until I can hear the conversation that I need to have with myself. “What the fuck is this?” “Is that a dick?” “Why the fuck would someone throw this out?” “Why am I drawn to this?” “Maybe because....” The finished product is a magnificent mess of emotion and instability. A completed puzzle made from candy flavored gummy vitamins. A child playing in the pouring rain covered in mud with a stupid shit- eating grin on their face knowing all too well that they’re going to have to wash it all off, only after they track the mess inside. What happens with the mess afterwards is up to the viewer. |
Resume and CV can be viewed upon request. Commissions are open. |