Nykoli Koslow is a Milwaukee-based artist. Primarily a painter, his diverse practice also spans drawing, installation, video, and VR, all aimed at world-building. His universe, rooted in queer abundance and alien semiotics, blends abstraction and figuration to explore the trans* experience within a queer, mythic cosmology. Nykoli’s work draws on personal narratives and a rich tapestry of influences—including mythology, religion, conspiracy theories, mysticism, and sci-fi—to recreate and examine the immersive narratives that shape our understanding of the world.

 

Nykoli earned his BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Peck School of the Arts, in 2013. He has exhibited at the Museum of Wisconsin Art’s 10 at 10 exhibition (2023) and the Wisconsin Artist Biennial (2024). From 2021 to 2022, he was the Artist in Residence at the Pfister Hotel, culminating in his solo show Queer Mythologies: TransAbstractions at Saint Kate Arts Hotel. His work is in the permanent collections including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union, the Pfister Hotel Legacy Collection, and Northwestern Mutual Art Program. In 2023, he was accepted into the gener8tor Art x Sherman Phoenix Accelerator fall cohort and is currently represented by Var Gallery, where he exhibited Queer Cosmology: The Making of a Universe in 2023.

​

"In my work, the trans* experience metamorphoses into a queer mythos through world-building. Utilizing painting and drawing, I construct a universe rooted in queer abundance and alien semiotics. Growing up queer in '90s America amidst conservative Christian ideologies, world-building became my refuge. Now, this practice informs my work as I dissect and reimagine the myths, ideologies and the religiosity that  tries to define, and confine us. In response, I cultivate the unruly, the cosmic, and the illegible.

 

Abstraction and figuration merge to create a visual language that serves as a metaphor for gendered illegibility. Within this altered realm, the etymology of 'queer'—from 'twerkw'—emerges in twisted, contorted lines, challenging and dismantling oppressive, hegemonic structures. This queered way of navigating unfolds in my drawings, where lines diversify and expand, forming the matrix and framework for the worlds I build.

The Earth 38.2 series follows my ever-evolving avatar through a parallel world that spans both the ancient past, before Eden, and a distant future, after dystopia, where nature reclaims the earth and remnants of our 'fall' linger with anxious suspicion. Here, as I navigate life’s fragility, and contend with the unraveling around us, I dream of deep ecologies as a vital call to weave new worlds.

In my deities series, I explore the nexus of spirituality and identity by fusing narratives from trans* people, myth, and religion with my personal experiences and historical research. Taking liberties, I weave in my own narrative; the pivotal moments of my nonlinear transition—the dysphoria, euphoria, and social dispositions—sprout various deities that parallel my journey and become extensions of my identity.

Ultimately, my work serves as both personal catharsis and collective manifesto, confronting historical marginalization while envisioning a future that recognizes queerness as intrinsic and life-affirming."