NICK KAKAVAS, ceramics
Making is the way I process the experiences and fantasies of my life. It has become a three-dimensional diary that records where I have been and where I wish to go. As a gay man, I grew up with a lot of shame toward myself and my identity in our heteronormative society. My sculptures challenge the censorship of LGBTQ+ content that we are currently experiencing.
My latest body of work, Sin With Me, focused on homosexual desire and how society associates certain acts as right or wrong. Since coming to the Mendocino Art Center I have been focusing on how I can use the body to create visual narratives. My sculptures are built inch by inch through a method of pinching with the clay. This method gives me time to process my thoughts as I build and has become a meditative practice. The kilns and the outdoor studio space has given me the freedom to go larger with my sculptures and I cannot wait to see them all together for the residence show.
ABOUT NICK
Nick Kakavas is an artist from Missoula, Montana. He received his MFA in Ceramics from Georgia State University and his BFA in Sculpture from the University of Montana. He spent his childhood in the religious belt of the midwest, before relocating to Montana. After completing grad school Nick came to the Mendocino Art Center to continue his practice.
Nick has exhibited his work across the country in venues such as the Joesloff Gallery (West Hartford), the Bunker Project (Pittsburgh) and the Columbus State University Gallery (Columbus). He was also recently featured two years consecutively in the NCECA Juried Student Exhibition. Additionally, Kakavas has been an artist in residence at the Armory Art Center (West Palm Beach), The Hambidge Center (Rabun Gap) and Medalta (Alberta). He has taught many classes and workshops covering processes like mold making, ceramics and decal imagery.