Lydia Wickham is a BFA candidate at the Columbus College of Art & Design, graduating in 2025. She lives in Circleville and works in Columbus, OH. Wickham has exhibited nationally, including VIVID at d’Art Center in Norfolk, VA, where she was awarded a one-year membership to the Surface Design Association; Transparency at Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights, IL; Carla: The Essence of Love and Joy at All People Arts in Columbus, OH; and Young Hearts 2025 at Sean Christopher Gallery in Columbus, OH. In 2024, Wickham received third place, Best of Show at the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Competition (Amateur Division). Her public art projects include performing a live wedding painting at the Bryn Du Mansion in Granville, OH, and creating holiday window paintings for White Castle in 2021 and 2022. In 2025, Lydia will exhibit at 934 Gallery in Columbus, OH, and will have a piece traveling with Art Possible Ohio’s Accessible Expressions 2025 exhibition.
Statement
My work investigates the invisible forces shaping our experiences and connections; to each other, nature, and what lies beyond immediate sight. Navigating chronic, unseen conditions has led me to question reality and the tension between what I feel and what others can see related to my experiences. This really pushes my exploration of how perception influences our understanding of reality, focusing on moments of transformation where distinctions between what is seen and unseen become indistinct. Just as sublimation transitions matter without an intermediate state, perception, and emotion can instantly metamorphose, influenced by energies that may impact us before we perceive them.
Through bold colors, tactile materials, and light, I provoke curiosity and challenge viewers to perceive differently. My work balances fragility and resilience by repurposing materials often associated with femininity or decoration, transforming them into powerful tools for expression and discovery. Material transparency, reflection, and shifting perspectives reflect the continuous growth and change in how we see ourselves and the world around us.
My creative process involves building layers, using vibrant colors, and exploring the interplay between materials, light, and shadow based on instinct and feeling. Through embroidery, weaving, acrylic, neon vinyl, and reflective surfaces, I craft dynamic environments where perception is fluid, prompting viewers to reassess. Essentially, my work connects past and present, self and nature, the visible and invisible, capturing fleeting moments where the hidden becomes unmistakably revealed.