Art Historian
Curator
Writer
Presenter
Designer
Joe Nickols is an award winning Art Historian, Curator, Writer, Presenter, and Designer.
Joe is a Curator in the Japan section of the British Museum, co-ordinating a headline exhibition on Samurai launching in 2026. Joe is a research based curator and is concurrently developing a PhD project at SOAS, University of London. Joe was awarded the Sasakawa Scholarship 2023/24 for research into the Japanese Art Movement Mavo.
Joe has curated exhibitions in the UK and Japan, as well as lecturing lectured at Stanford University and Hong Kong Baptist University on Arts, Culture, and Curation. Joe has worked closely with artists to develop engaging and dynamic exhibitions that have been popular with the public.
Joe has written articles that have been published in academic journals and other cultural media outlets. Joe is a dynamic public speaker and is passionate about making arts engaging. Consequently, Joe has produced and presented podcasts, video interviews, and zines. In 2023 Joe launched a lifestyle platform called NCLUSIV WORLD that focussed on queer/trans arts and culture.
For more details explore the CV page here.
Project Portfolio
CURATION WRITING PRESENTING DESIGN
Curatorial projects for commercial and public galleries and museums.
Upcoming projects include work in Japan and for the British Museum.
Joe has collaborated with many artists and creatives to develop engaging exhibitions, particularly with Northern British artists.
Articles and research for academic journals, auction houses and media outlets.
Many of these articles explore East Asian culture, Gender Identity, and Theoretical discourse.
Joe has presented podcasts, video interviews, and short form programmes, including work for BBC Bitesize. Additionally, Joe has produced and hosted a digital art conference titled Conversations in Art: Race, Sexuality, and Health.
Joe has worked for internationally recognised brands on graphic design, most significantly for Matty Bovan. For NCLUSIV WORLD, Joe design apparel to champion Queer identities. Joe has used these skills to create aesthetic exhibition posters, visually engaging articles, and promote presenting work.
