Claudia Nicholson’s works are like a cultural pick’n’mix, and it’s a bag filled with Minties, Supercocos and Coke bottles.

Born in Bogota, her practice has developed as a way of getting to know her Colombian heritage and the history of South America. It gives her the freedom to carve out her own space between the Australian and Latin culture.

Her art-making began with painting and drawing but has expanded to accommodate her enriched understanding of the South American culture. You will find her working with anything from textiles and ceramics to floral arrangements and now alfombras de asserín (or sawdust carpets).

When it’s complete, the sawdust carpet at 4A Gallery will be a populated with knock-off brand logos like ‘Adidad’ and ‘Nkie’ covered in glittery gold text. It’s a reference to the bling aesthetic of Cholas street culture and pop up in a lot of her works. Her art is slightly aspirational; “A lot of things I put in my works I want” Claudia says, but these logos also tread a line between authenticity, a playful appropriation that resonates in her work.

In order to get into the zone her musical influences straddle similar cross-cultural lines as her art. Transitioning from the Motorcycle Diaries Soundtrack to Hotline Bling, sometimes she meets them somewhere in the middle by putting on her Colombian soul sister Shakira.

When her hands are not covered in ceramics clay or stained with fabric dye Claudia is at home in Chinatown trawling through Paddy’s or playing arcade games or in her studio at UNSW Art + Design bouncing ideas off her peers.

You can catch Claudia creating her new work On Our Terms every Tuesday at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art between 12 – 4 until Saturday 12 December. Her work is part of the group show Future Archeology.

WHAT: Future Archeology
WHERE: 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
WHEN: 30 October – 17 December
HOW MUCH: Free