Nikkolos Mohammed Created Pandemic-Era Cheerleader Skirts

Nikkolas Mohammed, ’13 BFA Fine Arts

Produced during the COVID-19 quarantine, the concept for these works stemmed from the temperament of the times we were in. My art practice conceptually uses sports analogies to describe social ideas, and technically has a three-dimensional quality to historically two-dimensional mediums. In the vein of sports, the cheerleader has an athletic, yet specific role: to be the bridge of the athletes to the audience, and vice versa. All media, from television to social media platforms, rally people and recruit fans for their cause—becoming the era of the “cheerleader.” 

The imagery used in the skirts juxtapose Eastern religious head garbs in comparison to Western athletes using towels on their heads at resting times during a sports game. The repetitive form of the skirts compare the emotions of these two different cultural experiences through the same symbol.

In addition to the cheerleading skirts, throughout the composition are added drawings on actual sports cards. Removal of areas within the sports cards reveal new narratives dealing with social consciousness.

Nikkolos Mohammed cofounded Dreamhaus, a nonprofit art collective based in South Central Los Angeles, with fellow Otis alumnx Mike Reesé (’13 BFA Communication Arts). Most recently, Mohammed’s work was shown in the exhibition, “Public Access,” at HVW8 (an online tour of which can be viewed here). For more information, please visit NikkolosMohammed.com and follow Mohammed on Instagram, @honorablemohammed.