Zachary Nicol headshot

Zachary Nicol

Artist, Choreographer, and Performer

Zachary Nicol (they/any) is an artist, choreographer, and performer based in Chicago. Their practice across performance, writing, and video uses research in dance, movement, site, and image to unfold problems of representation and paradox in the performing body.

Their solo and collaborative work has been presented at national and international venues including Museo Universitaro del Chopo, BACAL (Mexico City), Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Watershed Art & Ecology, 6018|North, Blanc Gallery, Links Hall, Co-Prosperity, Lumpen Radio (Chicago), Krannert Center for Performing Arts (Urbana, IL), the National Museum of Romanian Literature (Bucharest), S1 Gallery (Portland, OR), among others. 

Nicol was a 2023 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist, has been artist in residence with Ragdale Foundation, Annas Projects, ACRE, and Links Hall, and has received support from Whistle Space, Lit & Luz, Villa Albertine and Chicago Artists Coalition.

Nicol has performed and contributed to dance, film, and performance projects by artists including, Anna Martine Whitehead, Andy Nicholas Li, Courtney Mackedanz, Gabriel Chalfin-Piney-Gonzalez, Adam Linder, Joe Namy, Mlondi Zondi, Alexandra Pirici, Elise Cowin + Josh Hoglund, Kim Brandt, Ginger Krebs, Catherine Sullivan, and others.

Featured Artworks

  •  Light-skinned Black person with short black curly hair poses and they dance in an all black room [with Joe Namy and Ariel Zetina, Renaissance Society], 2022 Image by Meg T. Noe
  •  Zachary Nicol artwork [Links Hall], 2023 Image by Jovan Landry
  •  Light-skinned Black person with short black curly hair poses and they dance on a concrete floor outside a gallery. They are wearing a red shirt. [with Anna Johnson and Eric Capper, Roman Susan], 2023 Image by Ricardo E Adame
  •  Two performers dance outside on a concrete floor. It is dark outside with reddish pink lighting. [with AJ McClenon, Watershed Art & Ecology], 2025 Image by Ally Almore
  •  Light-skinned Black person with short black curly hair poses and they dance outside under a colorful netting woven from fabric. [with Jasmine Lupe Mendoza Carrasco], 2024 Image by John Niekrasz
  •  Light-skinned Black person with short black curly hair poses and they dance on wooden floor in a blue and yellow lit room. [sculpture by Thomas Romero, ACRE], 2024 Image by John Niekrasz