Jess Nicholson

Jess Nicholson (Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu, Pākehā) is a ceramic artist from Whakatāne with a Diploma in Art and Design from Dunedin School of Art. Their practice is grounded in connecting to whakapapa through whenua with a focus on Kāitahutaka and environmental sustainability. Through intimate and laborious studio practice, Nicholson transforms local and recycled materials into ceramic sculptures that highlight how their identity is shaped by te taiao and question extractive and anthropocentric relationships with land. 

In 2025 they exhibited internationally with Paemanu: Ngāi Tahu Contemporary Visual Art Collective at the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial in Meanjin/Brisbane, were awarded the Caselberg Creative Connections Residency, second place at ILT Arts Murihiku, and a merit award at The Portage ceramic awards. This year Nicholson presented Ka maumahara te uku (The clay remembers) commissioned by COCA Toi Moroki, exhibited We used to be a mighty mauka at Objectspace in Tāmaki Makaurau, Hearth at Whakatāne Art Gallery with Llyr Williams, and is about to embark on a 6-month residency at The Kilns at Te Horo.