Niki McQueen is a visual artist from Cape Town, known for her surreal and symbolic narrative work. At high school, she became fascinated with classical surrealism, and this evolved into a passion that has dominated her artistic vision. Circumstances prevented her from pursuing formal art studies after school, and she went on to obtain an MSc in Marine Biology, The field of biology has also significantly influenced the aesthetic of her work. For the past two decades, she has found a creative niche within the communications and graphic design world.
As the Covid-19 pandemic swept the globe, Niki harnessed her creative resilience and pioneered and developed a unique technique over several years, which she uses to create richly-coloured, finely detailed, surreal, and otherworldly artworks. In a marriage of traditional and contemporary practices, her process begins with the creation of digital composites and collages, using fragments of hand-drawn and public domain images, meticulously combined using graphics software. The physical process begins with the creation of the underprint, where prints of the composition are hand-transferred onto heavy archival paper. This serves as the artwork’s skeleton and is followed by meticulous handwork, starting with detailed drawing using ultra-fine waterproof pens to unify and establish the foundation of the work. Each piece then undergoes up to 10 additional processes that involve washing, painting, colouring, and finishing with various materials. Depending on size and complexity, a work takes between one and four weeks to complete. PORTFOLIOS
Niki's extensive body of work, comprising over 600 pieces, is divided into two main portfolios. The first, Niki McQueen Art, includes surreal and symbolic Fine Art works which stem from her process of focusing and reflecting on psychological and emotional disturbances or realisations. While some of these works begin with a deliberate theme, topic, or purpose, many emerge and develop subconsciously and may take days, weeks or months to create, understand, and contextualise.
Her second, more whimsical, portfolio, Life Beyond Reason, features light and playful works that often depict children and animals or dreamlike scenes, They speak to flashes of her somewhat surreal childhood, which was characterised by unquenchable curiosity and often spent in the realms of imagination and make-believe. Through connecting with facets of the inner child, she seeks to express innocence and wonder and bring joy to viewers.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Niki sold her first artwork within a month of going public in 2020. She began exhibiting and signed with a gallery six months later. In under four years, she has sold over 220 artworks to local and international collectors. She was a top 40 finalist in the Vuleka Art Competition in 2021 and 2022, a top 100 finalist in the Sasol New Signatures Art Competition in 2021 and won the Africa Regional Award in the international Copic Awards in 2021. In 2023, she represented South Africa at the Art Connects Women exhibit in Dubai. She published a book of art and poetry in 2022 and has had work included in several international publications, including an upcoming feature in Suboart Magazine (September 2024).
Since 2022, Niki has collaborated with cult-celebrated US punk cabaret duo, The Dresden Dolls, creating artworks for their 2023 and 2024 tours. She also collaborates with their lead singer, Amanda Palmer—a bestselling author, human rights activist, and TED speaker—and has done commissions for bestselling author and noted human rights activist, Nathan Monk.
Niki’s work is available for sale directly and through several notable South African galleries. Her CV is available on her website.
