Nicolei Buendia Gupit

Period: 2025/05/15 ~ 2025/08/07

Nation: U.S.A

Genre: Installation Art; Sculpture; Papermaking; Drawing

Nicolei is a U.S.-born visual artist and educator who works across sculpture, drawing, installation art, and video. Using traditional and unconventional art materials including paper mache, silicone, video projection, resin, plant fibers, clay, and lottery tickets, Nicolei’s works of art reflect her family’s migration experiences between the Philippines and the U.S. while speaking to issues around the climate crisis, the American dream, and global capitalism.

Nicolei’s passion for the arts and education has transported her all over the world. After graduating with a BA in Studio Art from Williams College in 2013, she served as an English teacher at K-12 schools in South Korea, Taiwan, and the Federated States of Micronesia. In 2019, she returned to the U.S. from her teaching jobs abroad to pursue an MFA from Michigan State University. After completing her MFA in 2022, she was awarded a Fulbright grant to the Philippines to produce and exhibit art focused on the human toll of climate change in the country. Over a few years, Nicolei has developed an impressive exhibition record of public presentations of her artwork nationally and internationally including major solo shows in the U.S., Italy, and the Philippines.