Jordan Nickel (‘04 Painting)
Blending the raw, rule-breaking energy of street art with deeply conceptual studio practices, Jordan Nickel ('04 Painting) has spent decades building a visual language uniquely his own. From his origins as a graffiti artist to creating immersive installations and preparing for a major solo exhibition in Paris, Nickel’s work explores the intersection of intuition, community, and everyday culture.
Growing up in Chicago in the 1980s Jordan Nickel found something that really got him going through the energy of the skateboarding scene. This was his taste of a world where people did not follow the rules, a world that was all about doing things your own way. He got into graffiti, which was about expressing himself in a raw and honest way. For Nickel the city streets were like his studio, where he could explore and create art.
Before coming to KCAI, Nickel already had an established identity in the underground graffiti scene and wanted to develop his painting practice. He admits he arrived with an ego, thinking he already knew how to paint. However, his Foundation year provided a necessary reality check. He remembers Professor Russell Ferguson challenging him with repetitive tasks, like drawing endless circles with a paintbrush. It changed the way he thought about his art, style and vision.
"I was faced with, if I know it all already, how can I learn anything? That first year broke me down so hard... and that was the biggest gift ever." Nickel recalls thinking back to his foundation year.
Caught between the possibility of failing or learning to be uncomfortable, Nickel chose to open his mind. This openness allowed him to dive into the conceptual side of painting, allowing his graffiti practice to grow with broader artistic theories.
Bridging the Street and the Studio
During the early 2000s, graffiti was still heavily stigmatized, forcing Nickel to navigate two separate lives: his secret, active street art identity, POSE, and his public, academic identity as Jordan Nickel. KCAI gave him the space to figure out how to meld those worlds and how to be simultaneously disruptive and respectful of art history.
Classes focused on theory, such as Maria Buszek’s art history courses which introduced him to Takashi Murakami's "Superflat" concepts, and James Woodfill’s "Frames of Reference," fundamentally shifted his studio practice. He learned how to observe environments critically, a skill he now applies to large-scale projects like his past immersive installations at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver.
Intuition and the Power of the Crew
A defining element of Nickel’s work is his use of discarded items and everyday cultural imagery. From old comic books to fragments of Norman Rockwell illustrations, he relies on his graffiti-trained intuition to place colors and forms, using these items to pull viewers in and trigger instant emotional associations.
This deep sense of connection extends beyond his canvases and into his community. Having been part of graffiti crews for over 30 years, most notably the Mad Society Kings (MSK), Nickel learned early on the power of collective creation. Being part of graffiti crews taught him to build something larger than himself, prioritizing the success of his peers alongside his own. The shared language of graffiti fosters a collaborative environment where the focus shifts from personal ambition to a common goal.
"The wonderful thing in graffiti... is that it crosses all kinds of socioeconomic and ethnic lines because the common goal is what matters. It's kids that need community creating community." Nickel says reflecting on his time with MSK.
Nickel is preparing many upcoming projects, including a major solo exhibition in Paris at Galerie Itinerrance opening this November 5th, a mural project for Boulevard Paris 13, and a mural commission for Chicago's 34th ward (DCASE) Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Along with these upcoming projects, he is also currently featured in two other Paris exhibitions, BEYOND THE STREETS & WE ARE [still] HERE.
When looking back at his path and offering advice to current KCAI students, Nickel’s message is encouraging: "You can't mess it up. There's no mistake that you're going to make that is going to be too big. The only real failure is making fear your driver. If your lighthouse is your artistic exploration, you absolutely cannot mess it up. Be nobody but you... cherish yourself, that time, and put your creative exploration at the forefront of all of it."