Christina Nicodema (b. 1987, New York, USA) lives and works in Long Island City, USA. Nicodema completed her bachelor’s in fine arts at Parsons School of Design, New York in 2009. Her paintings delve into the complexities of the food chain and the interplay between violence and empathy across species and cultures. Drawing on digital influences and contemporary imagery, her work challenges traditional notions of truth and reality, presenting distorted yet vivid compositions that reflect the collective subconscious. Through a fusion of traditional and modern techniques, Nicodema explores themes of dominance, hierarchy, and survival, exposing the tension between nurturing and instinctual violence. Her art invites viewers into a dreamlike space where societal anxieties and desires are laid bare, prompting reflection on the human impact on the natural world and the relentless quest for control and gentrification.
Solo exhibitions include (Upcoming) Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2025); Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Salon, West Palm Beach, FL (2024); This is Fine, Scott Miller Projects, Birmingham, USA (2022); Mayfly, Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art, Houston, USA (2020); Tower of Babel, Martha's Contemporary, Austin, TX (2019).
Group exhibitions include (Upcoming) Ted Lawson & Christina Nicodema, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2025); (Upcoming) EXPO Chicago, Kristin Hjellgjerde Gallery, Chicago, IL (2024); Beach, Nino Mier Gallery, curated by Danny Moynihan, New York, NY (2023); Platform x David Zwirner, in partnership with Scott Miller Projects, Untitled Art Fair, Miami Beach, FL (2023); Ephemeral Pleasures, Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica, CA (2023); Intersect Aspen, Presented by James Barron Art, Aspen, CO (2023); Eat Me!, curated by Mickey Boardman, Trotter and Sholer, New York, NY (2023); Dallas Art Fair, Presented by James Barron Art, Dallas, TX (2023); Platform x David Zwirner, in partnership with Scott Miller Projects, David Zwirner, New York, NY (2023); To Die For, curated by Laura Sanders, Contemporary Art Matters, Columbus, OH (2022); Party For One, My Pet Ram, New York, NY (2022); À la carte: A Visual Exploration of Our Relationship with Food, Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, Birmingham, AL (2020); Spallanzani Hospital Benefit Exhibition, Postmasters Gallery, Rome, Italy (2020); New Wave, Anna Zorina Gallery, New York, NY (2020); Zwang, curated by Kylie Manning, C.G. Boerner, New York, NY (2020); Of Folly, Fortune, Glory, Ruin: William Buchina and Christina Nicodema, Hollis Taggart, New York, USA (2020); Flora/Fauna, Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York, NY (2019).
Highlights and collections
Nicodema received an artist grant by the Peter S. Reed Foundation Grant for painting in 2021. Her work is in the collections of Beth Rudin DeWoody, West Palm Beach, FL, and Fidelity Investments Corporate Art Collection, Boston, MA. Furthermore, writings about Nicodema`s work has appeared in publications by Artnet News, and The Harvard Advocate. She has also held lectures at Harvard University, Cambridge, Abroms- Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, Birmingham and at the Kutztown University, Kutztown.
In 2024 Christina Nicodema was selected as a finalist for the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship.