Nicola L.
in ‘Shell’, Del Vaz Projects, Santa Monica, Los Angeles
14 February – 16 May 2022
Nicola L., Cloud, 1976, ink, cotton and wood, 160 x 88.9 cm (63 x 35 in). Courtesy: © Nicola L. Collection and Archive
‘Shell’, 2022, installation view, Del Vaz Projects, Santa Monica. Courtesy: Del Vaz Projects, Santa Monica
‘Shell’, 2022, installation view, Del Vaz Projects, Santa Monica. Courtesy: Del Vaz Projects, Santa Monica
Nicola L. is included in ‘Shell’ at Del Vaz Projects, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, a three-person exhibition featuring the work of artists who use the form of the shell to construct metaphors around the home, garment and body. The exhibition is on view from 16 February–16 April 2022 and will be accompanied by a publication, launching on 16 April 2022.
Uniting the work of Heidi Bucher, Olivia Erlanger and Nicola L., ‘Shell’ reveals an interplay between the shell and the skin. Through Nicola L.’s wall-based works – a full-body Pénétrable titled Cloud (1974–78), as well as a green canvas mask from the late 1990s – the viewer is presented with both a protective second skin and the opportunity to shed their individual identity in exchange for something shared and collective.