MASTERPIECES FROM THE BEN URI COLLECTION
JACQUELINE NICHOLLS (1971- )
MATERNAL TORAH
2008
Sinamay (lightweight millinery fabric)
JACQUELINE NICHOLLS
JJacqueline Nicholls’s Maternal Torah is a sculptural meditation on gender, embodiment, and sacred tradition, rendered through the intimate language of textile and form Delicate yet deliberate, the piece is constructed in the shape of a corset a historically loaded symbol of femininity, constraint, and discipline meticulously
woven with sheer fabric and adorned with fringe and lacing Suspended in space, the garment evokes both vulnerability and reverence, suggesting a Torah scroll reimagined as a female torso The title itself invokes profound dualities: the Torah as the eternal text of divine law, and the maternal body as a vessel of nurture, transmission, and continuity Nicholls brings these spheres into dialogue, visually and conceptually, by feminising the traditionally male-associated Torah mantle The corset becomes a sacred garment its textile surface evoking parchment and ritual coverings while also alluding to the embodied, lived experience of women’s roles in Jewish life, often marginalised within formal religious structures. Nicholls, whose practice interrogates the intersections of Jewish thought, feminism, and craft, employs the medium of dressmaking to subvert and reclaim In Maternal Torah, the artist crafts a potent visual metaphor: the sacred text is not only to be studied, but also borne by women as both carriers of tradition and as its embodied interpreters, inscribed with layered histories and meaning
Artist and educator Jacqueline Nicholls was born into a Jewish family in Nottingham, England in 1971 She initially studied architecture at Leeds Metropolitan University, graduating in 1992, before going on to train as a medical illustrator Later she attended the Byam Shaw School of Art to study Fine Art, 1997, also studying at
the London College of Printing, 2001, and for an MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, which she completed in 2020. Nicholls’ work as a fine artist uses a variety of craft based echniques such as embroidery, textiles, dressmaking, print, and drawing and explores traditional Jewish concepts in non-traditional ways employing stereotypical feminine crafts to investigate patriarchal traditions, resulting in a creative tension between her feminist, ethnic, and religious identities Her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions both group and solo across the globe, including the United States, Italy, Israel, Austria Notable shows include the Ben Uri Out of Chaos:100 Years of Ben Uri exhibition, 2015, and Sacrifice, the Jewish Museum, London, 2015 Nicholls has worked on a number of key projects, including the mentoring of eight artists to produce a response to the original 1629 Venice Haggadah, and their experience of contemporary Venice, in 2015, as Head Artist for the New Venice Haggadah, commissioned by Beit Venezia. She also worked with staff from the Hebrew Manuscripts Department at the British Library, developing a series of drawings inspired by beasts in the marginalia of Hebrew manuscripts in 2016 and was artist-inresidence with the Manchester University Jewish Studies Department, working on their 50 Jewish Objects project in 2019 As well as teaching at the London School of Jewish studies, Nichols is also Arts and Culture Programmer at the Jewish Community Centre London, JW3, where her role includes hosting the Art Salon which is a forum exploring different themes with contemporary art and artists, relating them to a Jewish context Jacqueline Nicholls currently lives and works in London as an artist, educator and arts & culture programmer. Her work features in private and public collections including the Ben Uri Collection and Royal College of Art
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
COLLECTION: https://benuri.org/collections/
BURU: https://www.buru.org.uk/
