about the artist

nikita zook is a visual artist based in Pittsburgh, PA. nikita didn’t grow up thinking of herself as an artist, but for as long as she can remember, she’s always wanted to make things.

While completing her undergraduate degree in social work at a small liberal arts school in the Midwest, she took every art class she could. After moving to Pittsburgh, she worked in the nonprofit sector for three years before starting an 100 day project where she made something every day for 100 days and shared it online.

This project was a turning point for her because it helped her realize that being an artist is not innate or magical, but work; something that requires commitment and effort, something that can be practiced and learned.

Since then, she’s consistently carved out space to work as an artist, pursuing art as a way to process, evolve, and connect.

process

nikita has always gravitated toward both digital and analog techniques, using tools like a scanner, InDesign, Photoshop, or Illustrator as often as a stack of old magazines, scissors, and tape or paint and paper. She often scans original paintings to collage digitally or cuts up paintings to collage by hand.

past work

nikita is probably best known for a collection of vibrant abstract fine art prints (mostly circles ⚫️) that she started making in 2018. She received an emerging artist scholarship in 2019 to sell and exhibit that work at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

She was also selected to receive an Artist Opportunity Grant to learn how to risograph print at Outlet PDX in Portland, Oregon in 2018.

In the last few years, she designed a 2020 calendar (featuring 12 original abstract collages) and other physical products like stickers and zines and was a vendor at events like the Pittsburgh Zine Fair and Made & Found. Her most recent experiment was a six month community supported art project called Post Card Club, where she sent subscribers original collage art as post-card sized prints every month.

In 2021, Nikita was also selected to participate in a remote artist residency with Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh where she designed a DIY collage activity and hosted an in-person abstract collage workshop for kids.

content

nikita’s work focuses on relatable, yet often isolating emotions like grief, fear, and loneliness, exploring the ways that these human experiences relate to the social and political context we live in. She makes art that fills in the cracks, keeps you company during hard times, and helps you feel a little bit less alone.