The body as a vessel for the soul.

It’s an idea that spans cultures and centuries, from Plato’s philosophy to Hinduism. But interdisciplinary artist Joel Nichols, who’s prepping for the University of Oxford this fall as UM’s newest Rhodes Scholar, believes this idea doesn’t give the body enough power in the relationship.

In his grad exhibition, Nichols [BFA(Hons)/2023] sought to right this imbalance. He set floating orbs, representing the soul, against narrow, eight-foot-tall portraits of his great-grandmother, his best friend and two aunts, giving their bodies an elongated, imposing presence.

“I believe our bodies dictate our lives,” Nichols says. “They have great influence on how we are treated, how we’re perceived by others and therefore who we become.”

Body and Soul

Nichols and his body hold many identities. Born in England and raised in Winnipeg, he is queer and of biracial Jamaican-English descent. Now, he is heading back to England on a Rhodes Scholarship, considered one of the most prestigious academic scholarships in the world, which funds two years of post-graduate study at Oxford.

Rather than narrow his perspective, as some argue that focusing on identity tends to do, it’s been widened.

“I find being on the cusp of different identities, you get the privilege of being able to see both sides. It also makes you very aware that at the end of the day, we’re all just human. There’s more that brings us together than sets us apart,” Nichols says.

Identity, queer theory, bodily autonomy—these themes repeat in Nichols’ range of mediums, including ceramics, painting, drawing and printmaking.

“The idea of sticking to one medium frightens me. I think that’s just the way I exist in the world. I’m very greedy with how much I want to do.”

This photo and opening photo by David Lipnowski

Nichols started his journey at UM as a Faculty of Science student with the aim of becoming a doctor. But in his second year he took an art elective which consumed his life to such a degree (“I didn’t have a social life anymore”) that he switched to the School of Art. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy science—he just couldn’t imagine a life not focused on art.

He credits assistant professor Grace Han, a ceramist who received her original training in South Korea, and professor Grace Nickel for teaching him foundational ceramic skills. His influences, which are many, reflect the interconnected nature of making art.

“I don’t think any form of expression is truly just one person’s. We are influenced by so many people in our lives that it’s impossible to make something that’s not influenced by someone else. And I think it would be slightly narcissistic to think so,” Nichols says.

This interconnectedness extends to the support system he found at UM. Like when, for his grad exhibition, Nichols’ assigned space wasn’t big enough to house his installation, so his peers offered up extra space they didn’t need. Or when he had to spend three straight days on campus to monitor a pit fire for his ceramics, Candice Ring, a ceramics technician at the School of Art, took a shift so he could get some sleep before class. Professors and fellow students also stopped by to see if he needed food or a break.

“I think it really speaks to the environment at the School of Art and the culture among the professors and students,” Nichols says.

All artwork by Joel Nichols

As for the culture at Oxford, Nichols is most looking forward to the interdisciplinary nature of the university, where studying across multiple disciplines is common and students from different faculties share dorm rooms and exchange ideas.

Once again, Nichols will be greedy (or, rather, ambitious—it’s tough to call someone who volunteers at the Bear Clan Patrol, the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation, and the Special Olympics, among others, “greedy.”) In his two years at Oxford, starting in October, he’ll complete not one but two graduate degrees—a Master of Fine Arts and a Master of Studies in History of Art and Visual Culture.

Understanding queer art history in the coming years, Nichols says, will allow him to pay homage to it and recognize the underlying influences on his work.

“There’s a lot of things that happen subconsciously in the artistic process that you don’t realize until you actually read the history books and discover, ‘oh my gosh, that’s why this specific medium is treated this way.’ Or ‘that’s why this artist went a certain way with this piece rather than conforming to the norm.’”

Ultimately, Nichols hopes his art can act as bridge between people, between bodies. He travelled this bridge at the Museum of Modern Art in New York when he encountered Ja’Tovia Gary’s cinematic poem, The Giverny Suite. In the video, the Nina Simone song “Feelings” plays alongside street interviews of women in Harlem being asked, “Do you feel safe?”

“I’m not a crier at all, but I was in the gallery tearing up,” Nichols says.

The woman beside him started a conversation, partially checking to see if he was okay and partially to discuss what they both had witnessed.

“Art can bring people together. It can also divide. But, I don’t know. I like to be a bit naive and hope that it will bring us together.”

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