Nicole Havekost

Bar, 8” x 8”, Rag Paper, soft pastel, graphite, graphite putty, poked holes, 2023

Nicole Havekost: Proliferate

Opening Reception: Friday, March 7, 2025, 5-8pm

Proliferate, by artist Nicole Havekost, is of a series of ten works on paper. Made with traditional drawing materials, the artist pokes holes through the paper, creating a white, swollen perforation on the front. Using ovoid forms, the artist references voids and tears, and interiors and exteriors through accumulated gestures. The work speaks to unseen labor, the passage of time, and transformation.

Nicole says of this process, "I am fascinated by the body. I make work that reflects the increasing age and slow decay I witness in my own changing body. I am interested in process, labor, and a compulsive mark-making that span time and surface. My favored tool is a needle; I use it to pierce through charcoal covered paper. Each perforation is edged with a whisp of the white paper, the tear a documentation of a micro-gesture. These holes will not heal but transform the material into a different kind of body. This repetitive action speaks to the perpetual and progressive change I experience in my physical body and my evolving roles as a woman moving through middle age."

• Exhibition dates: March 6 - 28, 2025

• Gallery hours: Thurs – Fri 2-6pm, Sat – Sun 12-4 pm

This program is supported by a grant from the Athena Fund.