Wendy Nichol : Departing the World Once More
Photo Credit : Luisa Opalseky
Open thru 10/17 at the Museum Building (9 Mercer Street, 2nd Floor) is the 1st solo art show for accomplished downtown NYC fashion & jewelry designer Wendy Nichol who is expanding into the art world after starting to paint last year which has been a transformative process. Titled Departing the World Once More, the show challenges our preconceived notions of mortality, exploring the playful, mysterious, and sometimes absurd relationship we have with the concept of death. This exhibition invites viewers to confront the inevitable with a sense of curiosity, humor, and even joy—breaking away from traditional depictions of death as morbid or tragic. Bridging her silk tulle world onto the canvas, her color palette highlights earth tones, black, gold, beige, many pieces having an abstract expressionism influence. Also inspired by her early childhood fascination with fashion photography, Nichol has included several portraits that reflect her love of working with models.
Installation View: Departing the World Once More, 2024 Courtesy of Museum Building and Wendy Nichol. Photo Credit : Kunning Huang
In her first solo art show, Wendy Nichol transitions her artistry into the realm of painting. Drawing on her experience with transparent fabrics, fluid lines, and stitch-like details, Nichol’s newfound love of painting is showcased in this collection, her work reflecting signature techniques—delicate, flowing strokes that mimic the soft fall of fabric and intricate, and thread-like patterns that echo the stitches of couture design. In this collection, the artist weaves together abstract forms, distorted figures, and rich textures to present a visual dialogue between the seen and unseen. These works aim to strip away fear, offering instead a perspective that celebrates the unknown and embraces death as a part of life’s grand tapestry.
'Missing Witches' - Wendy Nichol - 12' x 6' Acrylic on Canvas with 1.5" brass frame Photo Credit : Kunning Huang
The largest piece in the show “Missing Witches” (12’ x 6’) taps into the esoteric undercurrents of past life regression, channeling the energies and memories of lost wisdom and forgotten histories. In this piece, abstract forms intertwine to create an otherworldly narrative, evoking the presence of the “missing witches”—women and mystics who once held sacred knowledge, now hidden, or fragmented across time. The fluid, gestural strokes and ethereal hues suggest an exploration of the spiritual residue left behind by these figures, who have transcended physical form but continue to influence the energetic realms.
And one of the smaller portraits, “Beauty as a Decision” explores the powerful notion that beauty is not something inherent or dictated by societal standards, but rather an intentional act, a conscious choice made by the individual. This portrait, with its striking red lips, stark white suit, and bold, minimalist lines, challenges traditional constructs of gender, race, and identity. It suggests that beauty transcends physicality and becomes a personal declaration. The subject’s gaze is strong, unflinching, and confident, embodying the idea that beauty is defined by the wearer—it is a decision, a form of self-expression that defies external expectations and asserts individuality with unapologetic power. The painting compels the viewer to reconsider how they perceive beauty, seeing it not as a passive trait, but as an active, cellular level, self-determined force.
Nichol started her design brand in 2007 after working with Joe Mimran/Club Monaco as accessories designer; quickly building a loyal clientele which led to opening 2 Soho boutiques, she’s since had many of our most beloved style icons wear her mesmerizing fashion pieces like Beyoncé (multiple times including a custom couture gown for Black is King and the iconic black sheer tulle gown for Drunk in Love music video; Beyoncé also wears a WN diamond middle finger ring on Homecoming album art), Rihanna, Lindsay Lohan, Zoë Kravitz, Claire Danes, Naomi Campbell, Rita Ora, Jessica Alba, Lena Dunham, Rebecca Hall (who got engaged with a custom black diamond & opal WN engagement ring and wore a WN dress at her wedding), and Ilana Glazer, who also wore a WN dress at her wedding (Ilana is a friend who even wrote Wendy into a Broad City episode, the S3 premiere where Wendy played a downtown gallerist). Her successful decade run with her 2 Soho stores ended their leases in 2020, and while a new world order prevailed, her clients started wanting more privacy/exclusivity so in 2022, she opened the new studio. The expansive space not only lent itself to a sacred atelier atmosphere, it led to Nichol creating large scale canvases, soon realizing her next move was a brand new passion, painting.
