Nikki de León (b. 1987) is a painter and sculptor of German and Mexican-American heritage based between California and Germany. With a background in interior design and architecture, alongside professional experience in wood and metal fabrication, her practice is fundamentally rooted in the logic of playful construction. Her work is shaped by an ongoing dialogue between structural influences and the physical properties of her materials. Her compositions are defined by abstract, geometric forms that emerge from a profound blackness. While her paintings achieve a sharp, graphic precision, her sculptural works exist in a state of precarious equilibrium, creating structural frameworks that find their own stability within the unknown.
Artist Statement
My artistic practice is an act of abstract construction. It is a space in the shadows that is not an end point, but a foundation of balance. Structure and spatial elements exist in an autonomous state. My work refuses to simply inhabit the world or accept it as given. It is a commitment to deconstruct and reassemble it. I create a structural void in which I establish my own static. These compositions thrive on the precision of the edges that define the weight of the paint. It is a study in structural resistance where form exists as a counter-narrative to the surrounding shadows. My sculptures transfer this into physical space, working with solid materials to achieve a sense of weightlessness and allowing the massive to float.