Nicola Hicks: A Sculptor of Wild Souls

Nicola Hicks is one of Britain’s most compelling sculptors, known for her hauntingly visceral depictions of animals and human figures. Her work, often cast in bronze or formed with straw and plaster, straddles the line between the mythical and the deeply personal, evoking both the fragility and ferocity of the natural world.

A Sculptor in Dialogue with Nature

Born in London in 1960, Hicks studied at the Chelsea School of Art before completing an advanced course at the Royal College of Art. From early in her career, she demonstrated an extraordinary ability to capture movement, emotion, and a raw, almost primal energy in her sculptures. Her work is deeply rooted in an intuitive understanding of animal form, reflecting an affinity with nature that transcends mere representation.

Hicks first gained prominence in the 1980s, when her striking sculptures began drawing the attention of major institutions. A key moment in her career came in 1985 when she was chosen by the British Council to represent Britain at the São Paulo Biennale. Since then, her work has been exhibited widely, including at the Tate Gallery, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and major galleries in the UK and internationally.

The Power of Straw and Bronze

A defining characteristic of Hicks’ work is her use of unconventional materials. Early in her career, she began sculpting with straw and plaster, creating rough-hewn, expressive forms that captured the essence of her subjects in a way that was almost painterly. The texture of straw lent her creatures a tactile immediacy, their surfaces alive with movement. Many of these straw and plaster pieces were later cast in bronze, a material that preserved their raw energy while giving them a sense of permanence and weight.

Her sculptures—often depicting bears, bulls, dogs, and hybrid creatures—seem to exist in an ambiguous space between tenderness and menace. They are imbued with a psychological depth that suggests more than simple animal portraiture. They challenge the viewer, prompting reflections on vulnerability, strength, and the wild instincts that remain just beneath the surface of both animals and humans alike.

A Mythic and Emotional Landscape

While Hicks’ work is rooted in direct observation, it also carries a strong element of mythology and storytelling. Many of her pieces evoke classical or folkloric themes, such as the bear, an animal frequently associated with both brute strength and protective motherhood. Her human-animal hybrids, such as figures with the heads of beasts, bring to mind the hybrid beings of ancient myths, suggesting themes of transformation, power, and the untamed aspects of the human psyche.

Hicks has often spoken about the importance of emotion in her work. Unlike artists who focus on technical precision or abstraction, she is concerned with creating pieces that resonate on a deep, instinctual level. Her animals do not simply exist as sculptures—they feel alive, their postures and expressions radiating emotion, whether it be defiance, grief, or quiet contemplation.

Recognition and Legacy

Nicola Hicks’ impact on contemporary sculpture is undeniable. Her works are held in major public and private collections, and her influence can be seen in a new generation of artists who explore the intersection of nature, myth, and raw materiality. Despite the often dark undertones of her sculptures, there is an undeniable beauty in their honesty. They confront us with the physicality of life, the tensions between strength and fragility, civilization and wilderness.

Through her unique artistic language, Hicks continues to challenge, unsettle, and move her audience, proving that sculpture, at its best, is not just about form but about the emotional and psychological resonance it can create. Whether depicting a battered yet defiant bear or a spectral human-animal figure, her work speaks to something primal within us all—something untamed, something enduring, something deeply, irrevocably alive.