nikki terry‘s paintings are truly captivating, blending memory and nostalgia with the thoughtful labor that goes into abstraction. Although stylistically quite different, I see echoes of the majestic qualities, experimental layouts, and unique color theories of Hilma Af Klint’s art in her pieces.
I recently attended the opening night of Nikki’s latest exhibition – held at the female-run Anita Rogers Gallery (ARG) in Manhattan – and afterwards we spoke one-on-one.
Zoe Melzer: Tell us a bit of background about the pieces on display in your recent exhibition at the Anita Rogers Gallery?
nikki terry: In her essay “Homeplace,” bell hooks says:
“I want to remember these black women today. The act of remembrance is a conscious gesture honoring their struggle, their effort to keep something for their own.”
When I first read that quote, I immediately thought about my paternal grandmother. She gave birth to 17 children. My dad was the oldest, and there were a lot of us – aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins – so many of us.
My grandmother’s house was the place where we all gathered on the weekends: there was always food; there was a lot of laughter and there were lots of arguments; and then there was my grandmother. She was our matriarch, providing for us, making sure we minded our manners and respected one another.
SHE GAVE US EVERYTHING! She taught us kindness. My grandmother taught me and my cousins what it meant to be respectful and to love one another. Without regret, I am pretty sure my grandmother held us close to her heart.
So, I wondered what I could give back to her to let her know that she is even closer to my heart – in ways I didn’t know how to acknowledge when I was a little girl – but can confidently preserve now. When I am painting, I always think of her – I think of her silence. I use my hands to paint because it is necessary that I imagine feeling her silence, and I transcribe that silence into the marks and scratches that are in my paintings.
