About Nicki
Nicki Aquino is a queer Asian Pacific Islander American artist and educational practitioner from San Francisco. Inspired by their Bay Area upbringing as a “third culture” individual, personal and shared identity, food, media, and the natural world, Nicki Aquino documents her continuous explorations of belonging, resilience, and unbridled curiosity– through painting, sculpture, and relief print.
She received her self-designed degree in Education and Community Engagement with a minor in Asian American Studies from Pitzer College in 2021. She served as the Filipinx Teaching Artist Fellow at Root Division from 2021-2023, in which she developed and facilitated culturally-centered, after school arts programming to youth at Galing Bata. She was also a participating artist in the 2022-2023 Queer Ancestors cohort. Her work has been featured at a variety of spaces, including SOMArts Cultural Center, Balay Kreative, and 4 Star Cinema. Nicki is currently pursuing a Masters in Museum Studies at University of San Francisco.
Email: nickibits@gmail.com | Instagram
Artist Statement
In parallel to many queer and diasporic Asian Pacific Islanders in America, I exist in societal nuance. I also hold my relationships with animals deeply sacred. I am captivated by the dynamism and complexity of my relationships to the world around me–specifically, to the natural world and to the larger colonial “institution.”
My art practice is deeply intuitive; I create when an idea strikes and use the medium(s) that resonate with me in that moment. While I am non-discriminatory in the mediums I work and experiment with, I gravitate towards painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Lately, I have been exploring fiber arts.
My work seeks to probe at larger questions, such as: What does reciprocity look like between myself and the stewards of the natural world–both human and more-than-human? How can I continue to ground myself in the legacies of my ancestors? What does community mean to me? Drawing on the knowledge of and insights from ancestors––both living, passed, human, and more-than-human–my work strives to capture the profound beauty and peculiarity of the human experience.
CV
Experience
Resident Artist, Balay Kreative; San Francisco, CA - March 2024 - December 2024
Community Collaboration Coordinator, Children’s Creativity Museum; San Francisco, CA - July 2023 - October 2024
Youth Education Instructor, Dragonfly Designs; San Francisco, CA - August 2022-July 2023
Adult Education Instructor, Root Division; San Francisco, CA - June 2022-December 2023
Studio Artist, Root Division; San Francisco, CA - July 2021-December 2023
Filipinx Teaching Artist Program Fellow, Root Division; San Francisco, CA - July 2021-July 2023
Spring Teaching and Tutoring Fellow, Breakthrough of San Francisco; San Francisco, CA - Jan 2017-June 2017
Event Organizer and Merchandise Coordinator, Claremont Zinefest; Claremont, CA - Oct 2018-Apr 2019
Education
University of San Francisco - MA in Museum Studies - 2025 - Present
AVA (Asian Pacific Islander Visual Artists) Lab Cohort, San Francisco - 2025
Queer Ancestors Project 2023 Cohort, San Francisco - 2023
Pitzer College – BA in Education and Community Engagement, Minor in Asian American Studies - 2021
Exhibitions
“Infinite Exchange” (2025) | Arc Gallery | San Francisco, CA
“With a Twist: Stories of Her Own” (2024) | Arc Gallery | San Francisco, CA
“Queer Ancestors Project” (2024) | Strut SF | San Francisco, CA
“Lunar New Year/1st Anniversary Exhibition” (2024) | The Tamper Room | Fremont, CA
Root Division Annual Auction (2023) | Root Division | San Francisco, CA
New Growth (2023) | Root Division | San Francisco, CA
“Taste” Root Division Spring Auction (2023) | Root Division | San Francisco, CA
“MORE IS MORE!” (2023) | 4 Star Theater | San Francisco, CA
“Nightmare Vacation” Solo Show (2022) | Root Division | San Francisco, CA
“RD Makes” (2022) | Root Division | San Francisco, CA
Fellowship Exhibition (2022) | Root Division | San Francisco, CA
20th Anniversary Exhibition (2022) | Root Division | San Francisco, CA
“Unfurl” (2022) 80 Albion | San Francisco, CA
“RD Makes” (2021) | Root Division | San Francisco, CA
Root Division Annual Auction (2021) | San Francisco, CA
Virtual Group Exhibition (2021) | (415) Public Gallery | San Francisco, CA
Arts Festival (2018) | Claremont Zinefest | Claremont, CA
“Ephemeral” (2018) | Pomona College Studio Art Hall | Claremont, CA
Awards
Dean’s Scholarship (2025) | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA
Futures Fund (2023) | Chinese Cultural Center | San Francisco, CA
Press
“Zines and the Socially Conscious Creative Process of Nicki Aquino” (2019), The Outback News