Nicholas Milkovich
MFA ’22 Fine Arts 3D
The human body is a perfectly fabricated machine made up of nature’s most clever designs. As a biomechanical engineer and sculptor, my practice sits in a foundation of material science and structure. In this way, my work has always been closely linked to research. All things in biology are made up of networks of smaller microstructures; atoms, cells, and limbs are units that interconnect to form meshworks of utility. Importantly, connection and configuration of these elements dictates the characteristics of the macrostructure. In my installations, smaller repeated units inform the larger structure in the same way. I mimic biological motif in an effort to both overwhelm and control processes otherwise left passive. Calling attention to these features can have the added effect of eliciting the uncanny. I use this register in my work to express feelings of bodily “wrongness”, both physical and internal. My use of synthetic polymers, such as nylon and polyethylene, has two main effects. These man made materials paired with biology has a sinister mass-produced implication. The characteristically intense colors of these materials also balances and reflects my fondness for the body’s complex structure.
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Nicholas Milkovich was raised in the Chicago suburbs. He attended the University of Virginia to study Mechanical Engineering and Sculpture. He also spent several years as a docent at Fralin Museum of Art, learning to engage with visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Nicholas’ installations utilize repeated biological motifs in a variety of materials to overwhelm spaces with “growing” forms. Before pursuing his MFA, Nicholas earned an M.S. in Biomechanical Engineering from Boston University.
