Nichole
Washington
Nichole Washington uses portraiture to explore her identity as a black woman.
She instructs her subjects on poses and style of dress in order to mimic
expressions that have influenced her. Through this process she aims to reveal
underlying personalities within the labels placed upon her. She hopes her work
will empower women to express themselves fully and freely.
Nichole was raised in Roseville, Minnesota. In 2005 she moved to Los Angeles
where she earned her bachelors degree in fashion marketing. She moved to NYC
in 2009 to further develop her skills in photography. She is a recent graduate of
School of Visual Arts where she earned a Masters degree in digital photography.
During her graduate studies Nichole was a recipient of the 2016 MPSDP Thesis
Scholarship. In 2016 Nichole was a part of multiple group shows including “Sight
Seen” at SVA-Chelsea Gallery and “Holla Back” at Studio 301. Nichole’s latest
work “For My Girls” was featured in three exhibitions at the 2016 Photoville
Festival in Brooklyn, NY. This included being featured on her very own emergi-
cube. “For My Girls” was also featured online by Refinery 29 and by Italian news
publication La Stampa. Nichole is currently based in NYC.
For My Girls
In “For My Girls” I explore how 1990s female hip-hop artists inspired me to be proud of my African-
American lineage, unapologetic for my liberated behavior and forceful in my approach to the culture
at large. To translate this into photographic form, I start by creating highly active studio portraits of
young black women, style them appropriately and ask them to strike specific poses. Then I paint and
draw on the actual photographic prints, producing a one-of-a-kind image. Each subject determines
the way I apply the paint, some strokes are aggressive and others are fluid.
Hip-hop has been the source of many role models for black youth in modern America. During the
1990s black women were a dominating force in this genre of music. Artists such as Missy Elliot, Da
Brat, Queen Latifah and Salt’ n Pepa had boisterous voices and styles to match. All of these women
had unique musical sensibilities, fashion choices and physical attributes. As a girl growing up in the
1990s, I viewed many of these artists as role models. There was an element of sisterhood among
them that I admired and that I feel is missing in today’s hip-hop culture. I hope that “For My Girls”
will empower women as a whole to honor themselves as well as the women who inspire them.
Nichole Washington . I bring wrath to those who disrespect me , For My Girls Series . 2016
nic ho le wa s h i n g t o n .c o m
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