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Art History and Media Arts & Sciences major
Before Wellesley, I never considered myself an artist, but majoring in Art History and Media Arts and Sciences gave me the theoretical framework to develop my practice. My work is rooted in digital media, spanning photography, video, printmaking, installation, performance, and other digital forms.
Through my art history studies and art practices, three parallel themes have developed into my language: travel, institutional critique, and diverse cultural histories. Ultimately, I see myself as a global citizen inspired by the wide array of art and cultures I encounter. My practice is an ongoing cycle where I learn as I create, and reflect as I learn. By sharing this process, my goal is to challenge passive observation, evoke new conversations, and make people think critically.
Two in One
Two in One
archival inkjet prints
Jewett Hallway Galleries
Over the spring break, March 2025, I traveled to northern Chile and southwestern Bolivia, a different but memorable experience. Everything- the view, the animals, the road- was so natural without much human disruption, unlike what I experienced in cities where I lived for most of my life. I captured the scenes I enjoyed, and through these photographs I have been able to recall the memory of the trip.
When I returned back to Wellesley College from the trip, I visited the Davis Museum and saw Lorraine O’Grady’s diptychs, which pair Egyptian sculptures with portraits of her relatives. Through this diptych format, the work activates a dialogue between past and present, connects Ancient Egypt to African diasporic identity, and prompts viewers to engage in critical comparison. This inspired me to create diptychs of the natural world in Chile and Bolivia contrasting the city views that I've always resided in.
The comparisons within the diptychs unfold intuitively, much like a stream of consciousness. Both this spontaneity and the theme of escape are drawn directly from the practices of ancient Chinese literati landscape painters. Just as these artists retreated into nature to seek reclusion and purify their minds from worldly demands, my travel to the untouched landscape of Chile and Bolivia was an escape from busy city life. Furthermore, their tradition of intuitive creation deeply mirrors my own spontaneous capture of these natural views.
The working process itself was straightforward, but as I kept working, I realized how deeply it echoed what I’ve learned and understood about art. I hope my work encourages viewers to interpret the diptychs in their own way that can spark connections with their own lived experiences, just as these landscapes resonate with me.
to see more work by Nicole: portfolio
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