Artist Statement
This work is depicting the Russian heritage of the artist, through the modern recreation of iconographic work that was refurbished by her maternal grandmother during the childhood of the artist. The work seeks influence from the contemporary American media portrayal of women, sexual objectification and objectification, in order to create an historical lineages of the progression of perception of women, specific to the subject of the breast as a nurturing component, and the value of breastfeeding for nutrition and comfort.
The artist grapples with ideas of parenting, as she is the fourth generation of single mother in her family. Through her ideals of natural and attachment parenting style, she has encountered multiple conflicts with observers while breastfeeding in public, before protective laws were passed. The artist considers herself to be a feminist, and in many ways traditional, yet within the context of contemporary social construct, has been viewed as a revolutionary. While her children were very young she started them on solid food by chewing it herself, and then feeding it to her four month old infant. This method was not well-received by observers in restaurants, and she was asked to refrain or leave establishments for this practice, as well as told that she is welcome to breastfeed in the lavatory. The overall vision of the artist is to display the natural state of existence of mother and child, and to make holly the couple by remembrance of the classical Madonna and child. Through the addition of exposed breasts, and the illustration of animal features to this image, the artist portrays the classical coupling of mother and child as a primitive duo, seeking to nurture in the contemporary social context of the corporate, and concrete world in which she finds herself. The artist expects to normalize these ideals through the viewer. This work is a progression from the artists’ original workings of rotund women. This work fits into contemporary art, as it seeks to change perceptions of women within contemporary social constructs built by the mainstream media, and it’s portrayal of breasts as sexual stimulants to sell alcoholic beverages. Historically, women have been portrayed in art as nurturers, being portrayed with children, and partially nude. This work fits into the whole of the artist’s creations, as she continues to handle the female form in historically beautiful positions, but not contemporary ideals of beauty. The flattening of the head, which is portrayed as mask-like is notable in that the classical Russian icons were created in a flat style. This artist believes that a finished work ought to hold characteristics of the process of creation, as well as the product intended for the viewer.
Through this work, the artist hopes to capture the beauty of infant nurturing, and the breast as a symbol of the Goddess, or holy women, rather than an objectified sexual organ. The artists’ intention is normalize the ideas of natural, mother-child connectedness in its most primitive form.
Bio
Nicole Aulicino is an Ulster County resident, and currently works out of her home-studio on Abeel Street. Nicole studied art at SUNY New Paltz, and SUNY Empire. She began publically displaying art at the Bistro, New Paltz, in 1993, and has shown work at Varga Gallery, Woodstock, and Far Fetched Gallery in Kingston. She has been involved in the performing arts, and has worked at local sound stage venues with Taconic Records, and Metro Sound. Nicole offers an array of talents to the community, including song-writing, and has performed original music both independently, as well as with a band. She made her first recording in 2004. Nicole Has volunteered at music festivals including Clearwater, and Falcon Ridge. She has volunteered her skills with Free Style Frolic for 25 years, as well as local theater, and art galleries.
Nicole works in a variety of mediums. She utilizes oil, water color, and acrylic paints, collage, and plaster sculpture to create portraits, masks, body castes, and images of the human form. Nicole creates jewelry with colored floss, and handmade ceramic, and Femo beads. She designs restorative furniture motifs, upcycled garments, and original silk screen fabric designs. Nicole utilizes water color and gouge to create mandalas, and Zen tangles.
Nicole has brought her skills to many populations in the community. She operated a child care facility in her home, where she explored color, paper, and objects with children ages 9 months, to 7 years. She has shown and sold her work in Rockland, and Ulster Counties. Nicole was employed as a recreation specialist for agencies serving developmentally disabled adults. Nicole was employed as an artist’s model for over a decade with the New Paltz Guild, Woodstock Photography, and private local artists.
Nicole also received a Master’s degree in Social Work from Adelphi University, and incorporates her creative talents with her clinical expertise in order to merge the therapeutic with the creative process. Nicole specializes in facilitating corrective experiences thought creative expression, and shared experience in both individual and small female group forums. Nicole utilizes meditative art forms, plaster masks and body casting to reduce stress, and correct body image perception discord. Nicole facilitates healing of loss and trauma during pregnancy though plaster body casting, and life-size body contour process. Nicole utilized meditative art forms, and self-portraits with substance-dependent women to incorporate self-identity schema, and stress reduction in both individual, and small group settings.
Nicole began her career as an artist at Junior High School, in Wappinger Falls, in the late 1980’s, when she grew beyond her Zen notebook doodles, and began to explore oil paint. Being the first American-born generation of her Russian family, she looked first to her own personal history for inspiration. She drew on the experience of her Maternal Grandmother, who restored Russian Icons, and began developing her interpretation of iconographic work. Nicole work focuses almost exclusively on the human form. Experimentation in skin color is her signature, but her Madonna’s are often depicted as having wings, tails, and babies that resemble bat-creatures. Nicole seeks to heal the generational trauma of her family’s immigration, and cultural loss through this work.
Nicole is currently exploring and further developing styles in the meditative art forms specific to the reduction of stress, and the transformation of self, through spiritual seeking. Towards the healing of body-image perception interruptions she is developing a program to recreating the human form in both two, and three dimensions, and will offer week-day workshops in Ulster County making this healing accessible to other women in the tristate area.
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