Nicole James

Lives and works in Statesboro, GA, USA

Artist statement

Whether it is apparent or not, the unspoken gender associations we instinctively place upon things as basic as textures, values, shapes, etc. influence how we view and experience much of our daily lives. Armed with knowledge of these assumptions, my lace sculpture and installation work aims to draw attention to the complications surrounding what we understand as feminine through material transformation. By changing select qualities of the material, I create analogies for assumptions commonly made about women. My ultimate goal is not only material manipulation, but to question some of the fundamental elements we associate with gender itself. In my work, I challenge these ideas by presenting lace in a powerful and triumphant manner, which separates that which we consider feminine from the negative connotation that often follows. I create to both demonstrate that lace can embody traits typically associated with being masculine, (strong, structural, dominant, etc.) as well as to show that these “feminine” aspects of the material are not inherently such. I believe it’s important to let the lace be soft and delicate at times, to exalt these “feminine” qualities, as well as structural and dominant. The more I can embody both, the closer the lace becomes to my own truthful identity. I push material transformation closer to an understanding where the overall qualities rise above their corresponding gender associations, yet simultaneously highlight the existence of such...

Artwork