Nichole Washington: Beauty & Magic Art

I grew up dissecting weekly issues of Vogue magazine that I was subscribed to as early as 10 years old. I was interested in style and beauty but subconsciously I was looking for images of myself. I wasn’t only searching for those who looked like me (although that too was important) I was searching for a shared spiritual and emotional language. Beauty often gets written off as frivolous or an unnecessary part of the human experience but I don’t see it that way. When the challenges of life become too overwhelming we look to beauty to give us a soft place to land as we process the world around us and within us. As a young child I dealt with a lot of trauma and fashion and beauty were places that I felt safe to express my authentic essence. Through the clothing I chose to wear and the way I styled my hair and makeup, I had the power to define myself. Fashion and beauty were tools for me to create an experience beyond the pain that I had endured from a young age. In these works I am integrating the aesthetic with the emotional.

Nichole Washington is a visual artist working and living in New York. In 2016 she graduated from School of Visual Arts where she earned a masters degree in digital photography. In 2017 She was a recipient of the Enfoco photography fellowship. Since earning her degree, Nichole has been creating mixed media works exploring identity and spirituality. The unique symbols painted in Nichole's work are used as a secret form of communication and protection. They are inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphs and Adinkra symbols from West Africa. She takes inspiration from her personal journey and mythical tales. Nichole has exhibited her work nationally in galleries and museums including at the National Afro- American Museum and Cultural Center. Her work has lent itself to a variety of projects including a mural at Black Girls Code headquarters in San Fransisco and photo illustrations for companies such as The New Yorker and HBO. Nichole has led workshops at Lower East Side Girls Club, Casita Maria and Vibe Theatre. Her work has been included in auctions supporting Heliotrope Foundation and Groundswell NYC.