Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1954 Marangu, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Year of Migration to the UK: 2008

Biography

Artist, writer and curator, Everlyn Nicodemus was born in Marangu, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania in 1954. ‘At church, she questioned the priests about inconsistencies in their teachings – she once threatened to leave the Lutheran church and go to the Catholic one down the road to see if she could get answers,’ (Bakare, 2022). Nicodemus married a Swedish economist who was working in Tanzania and the couple had a daughter together. They moved to Sweden in 1973 and stayed for 15 years before relocating to France (1987–8), then Belgium (1988–2008). Nicodemus began her higher education at Stockholm University, Sweden, where she studied Social Anthropology and Occupational Safety and Health Studies from 1978 to 1982. In 1980, she started painting during weekend classes. She furthered her art education at the Academy of Fine Arts, Universität der Künste Berlin, Germany, in 1988. After divorcing her first husband, Nicodemus married the Swedish art historian, Kristian Romare. The couple immigrated to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2008.

From 1994-2000, Nicodemus became a member of the advisory board of Third Text - a London-based international journal focusing on critical analysis of contemporary art. Nicodemus then studied for a PhD at Middlesex University between 2007 and 2012, with a thesis titled African Modern Art and Black Cultural Trauma. Following Romare's death in 2015, Nicodemus transitioned into a career in nursing, caring for dementia patients in Edinburgh. Facing financial pressures and emotional strain, her situation changed significantly, when Richard Saltoun, a London gallerist who has championed often neglected feminist artists, included her work in the 2021 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair. There, she emerged as a standout artist, even though her debut solo exhibition had been back in 1980.

Exploring the themes of personal and collective trauma and the healing potential of art, Nicodemus is considered one of the most established feminist artists from Eastern Africa over the last three decades. Her oeuvre includes paintings, collage 'books', mixed-media installations, and poetry. Her choice of materials is eclectic, ranging from metal netting and sisal to textiles and found items. Migration, diaspora and the female experience are the major themes at the heart of Nicodemus’ work. As a member of the Black diaspora, Nicodemus has experienced a life characterised by migration. Her journey through various parts of Europe has been a narrative of confronting constant racism and cultural distress and this migration pattern has significantly influenced her art. Nicodemus' travels have also seen her engaging actively with various communities, particularly highlighting the historical marginalisation of women and bringing to light their collective sufferings. Her sixteen-metre scroll, Reference Scroll on Genocide, Massacres and Ethnic Cleansing (2004), chronicles some of the most horrific episodes in human history. Furthermore, her own personal battle with PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) and grief heavily influences her artistic practice.

Following the 1-54 art fair, Nicodemus started exhibiting with Richard Saltoun, holding a major solo exhibition at the gallery in 2022. The show presented works from the past 40 years, alongside new work, her representational artwork underpinned by the same consistent theme: the depiction of the female body, which thematically serves as a key tool for regaining autonomy and rediscovering the narratives of women from marginalised groups. Nicodemus also took part in the exhibition Organised Killing (2022) at the same gallery, showcasing the works of 13 international artists to explore the progression of modern conflicts from 1914 to the Ukraine war, and highlighting the interpretations of war's societal impacts. Nicodemus' pieces, informed by her African colonial war experiences, conveyed the deep trauma and grief of war, underscoring its lasting effects across generations and its role in the continuous fight against global injustice and violence. Her group exhibition with Richard Saltoun, Women’s Work is Never Done (2023–4) spotlighted the contributions of female artists from the postwar period to the present, focussing on ‘woman’s art practice’ via themes of cultural racism, conservatism, transcending disciplinary boundaries, and the relationship between art, eco-feminism, and contemporary discourse.

Beyond her artistic practice, Nicodemus is also a curator, scholar and recipient of various awards. In 2022, she received the Freelands Foundation Award for a retrospective at the National Galleries of Scotland (2024–25). Her curatorial practice is rooted in the study of Modern African Art, while her scholarly work and publications focus on African art in the context of human agony and social accountability. Nicodemus regularly participates in conferences and lectures on the themes of art and Africa. Everlyn Nicodemus lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland. In March 2022, the National Portrait Gallery made a historic acquisition with Självporträtt, Åkersberga, marking the first time the institution obtained a painted self-portrait by a black female artist. In the UK public domain, her work is also held in the Arts Council Collection.

Related books

Everlyn Nicodemus and Kristian Romare, 'Robert S. Duncanson, an African American Pioneer Artist with Links to Scotland', in Afe Adogame and Andrew Lawrence, eds., Africa in Scotland, Scotland in Africa: Historical Legacies and Contemporary Hybridities (Boston: Brill, 2014), pp. 170-200
Everlyn Nicodemus et al., eds., Modern art in Africa, Asia, and Latin America: an Introduction to Global Modernisms (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013)
Everlyn Nicodemus, 'The Ethics of the Wound', in Antoon Braembussche, Heinz Kimmerle and Nicole Note, eds., Intercultural Aesthetics: a Worldview Perspective (Dordrecht: Springer, 2009), pp. 191-203
Everlyn Nicodemus, 'The Black Atlantic and the Paradigm Shift to Modern Art in Africa', Journal of African Art History and Visual Culture, Vol. 2, No. 3-4, 2008, pp. 7-20
Jean Fisher, 'Everlyn Nicodemus: between Silence and Laughter', Third Text, Vol. 11, No. 40, 1997, pp. 41-53
Everlyn Nicodemus, 'Art and art from Africa: The two sides of the gap', Third Text, Vol. 9, No. 33, 1995, pp. 31-40
Jean Fisher, 'Everlyn Nicodemus: Vessels of Silence', (Kortrijk: Kanaal Art Foundation, 1992)
Everlyn Nicodemus, 'When all My Reasoning Came to an End', Third Text, Vol. 6, No. 19, 1992, pp. 57-63
Everlyn Nicodemus, 'Who Owns Third World Women's Knowledge?: An Experience', Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 21, No. 28, 1986, pp. 1197-1201

Public collections

Related organisations

Middlesex University (student )
Third Text (member )

Selected exhibitions

Everlyn Nicodemus (solo exhibition), National Galleries of Scotland: Modern One, Edinburgh (2024–25)
Women's Work is Never Done (group show), Richard Saltoun Gallery, London (2023–24)
Organised Killing (group show), Richard Saltoun Gallery, London (2022)
Everlyn Nicodemus (solo exhibition), Richard Saltoun Gallery, London (2022)
What is Authority? On Hannah Arendt (group show), Richard Saltoun Gallery, London (2021)
Hacking Habitat: Art of Control (group show), Utrecht, Holland (2016)
Bystander on Probation (group show), The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal (2007)
Displacements (group show), University of Alicante, Alicante (1997)
Vessels of Silence (group show), Kanaal Art Foundation, Kortrijk, Belgium (1992)
Everlyn Nicodemus (solo exhibition), National Museum, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1980)

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Everlyn Nicodemus]

Ben Uri Research Unit

for the study and digital recording of the Jewish, Refugee and wide Immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900.

Everlyn Nicodemus artist