In 2024 Maake magazine, an independent, artist-run print publication and project space featuring contemporary artists and artist-run projects, interviewed Nicole Mazza. You can read the whole piece here; we have selected some of her most interesting responses. ‘Bordado erótico’ is Portuguese for ‘erotic needlework’.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you became interested in becoming an artist?

I was born in Gainesville, Florida, a university town in the middle of the state, and proudly an island of blue in a politically red area of the country. I lived mostly with my mom and spent almost all of my free time at my grandparents’ house. My grandmother was a seamstress and she had her studio set up in the garage. I was constantly helping her sew, or cutting pieces of fabrics and string. She had many boxes full of buttons and notions, and I remember the joy I had the days that she would let me take them down from the highest shelves and explore them with wonder. This was the beginning of an exploration of my creative process, though I didn’t know it yet.

Where are you currently based and what brought you there? Are there any aspects of this specific location or community that have inspired your work?

I am now based in Argentina. At eighteen I started dancing tango, drawn to the music and the nostalgia i felt when I first heard it. Tango accompanied me when I changed cities, when I moved to Chicago for School, to New York for work. It’s amazing because anywhere I go in the world, I have community. In 2014 I decided to take a trip to Buenos Aires, where tango originated and what is the mecca of tango today. I instantly fell in love with the city and decided to stay.

What is a typical day like?

Wake up early. Make a cup of delicious coffee. Coffee is important. Walk two blocks to my studio where I then drink said cup of coffee while I look over sketches or do work on my computer. Then sew, sew, sew. I usually work until about lunch time then work from home in the afternoon while my partner takes a nap. Siesta is a real thing here. In the evenings I usually dance, my partner and I are professional dancers so we try to practice every day.

What media are you working in right now? What draws you to this particular material or method?

I primarily work with textiles and embroidery. I am drawn to it because of the tactile nature of fabric. I like that it is something visually delicate but actually quite strong and durable. I’ve also recently started dabbling in ceramics. Because embroidery is so methodical and planned, I liked the idea of a material that I could react to. Making something that I didn’t know how was going to end up from the beginning. I have also realised that ceramics is also quite methodical.

Can you walk us through your overall process in making your current work? Does drawing play a role in your process?

I usually start by doing research, planning the story I want to tell and building images through sketches on my iPad which allows me to try different options quickly. I then draw the finished sketch onto the fabric, and prepare my surface, which is many layers of fabric and batting. Then just sew, sew, sew.

Can you talk about some of the ongoing interests, imagery, and concepts that have informed your process and body of work over time?

My works are heavily influenced by renaissance imagery. I like reimagining images that are a part of our collective visual language. I think this is something that stuck with me from when I was a child surrounded by images of religious idols at my grandmother’s house. I think I will continue to work with embroidery, but anticipate focusing more on installation and how the embroideries live in a three-dimensional space.

Do you have any tips or advice that someone has shared with you that you have found particularly helpful?

Make when you feel like making. If you’re inspired, ride the wave. You can always sleep later, or when you’re dead.