Our Garden Of

About the Exhibition

“I have strong childhood memories of venturing into the garden by myself early in the morning. I would pretend that I was in a rainforest, and go about collecting leaves, rocks, and other natural objects that became my provisions and sustenance for when the rains came. As an adult, I understand that this kind of play is a way of working through early experiences and making sense of the world. We do this as adults, too, of course, and this psychological processing now occurs through my art practice. I have come to understand gardens—backyards, botanical gardens, vegetable gardens, and this ceramic garden at A-B Projects—as places for continual growth, renewal, and transformation. The sculptures in this garden reflect my current family unit and the layered relationships between my husband, daughter, and myself. The forms are quirky, weird, refined, and sometimes abject, thereby acknowledging the complexity, peculiarity, beauty, and confusion of our humanness. Our Garden Of is a secure space for wander and wonder; a space to consider our roles as interconnected individuals.” 

-Nikki Renee Anderson

About the Artist

Nikki Renee Anderson (@nikkireneeanderson) creates sculptures and installations use her personal history to explore the feminine and the different roles of the self. Anderson has exhibited extensively including the Chicago Cultural Center, Hyde Park Art Center, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, Glass Curtain Gallery and The Grounds For Sculpture. Anderson's work has been reviewed in many publications such as the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Sculpture Magazine, Ceramics Art and Perception and American Craft Magazine. She received an MFA from Stony Brook University and a BFA from Drake University. Anderson teaches Ceramics and Foundations at Harper College. This is her second solo exhibition with A-B Projects.