Lydia Wickham is a visual artist based in Circleville, OH, whose work explores curiosity, perception, and the possibilities of materials. She experiments across media, often combining thread, vinyl, and found objects to create work that invites discovery.
Her art has been shown nationally in galleries, community spaces, and juried exhibitions, and she has been recognized with awards including third Best of Show at the 2024 Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Competition. Recent projects include a solo exhibition at 934 Gallery in Columbus, OH, and participation in Art Possible Ohio’s traveling exhibition, Accessible Expressions 2025.
Upcoming work will appear at Bridgeport Art Center and Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, as well as The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, OH. Through her practice, Lydia explores reflection, shifting perception, and questioning reality, shaped by her experience with chronic pain the struggle looking for help within America’s healthcare system.
Statement
My work explores invisible forces that shape how we perceive reality. Living with chronic, unseen conditions has made me question what is real and how perception influences our experience of our bodies. I am drawn to transformative moments where fragility and resilience coexist, and, like the process of sublimation, where the internal suddenly becomes external.
I experiment with vibrant color, light, embroidery, neon vinyl, fiber, and reflective surfaces to create immersive moments that invite viewers to look again. Transparency and reflection serve as metaphors for the fluidity of perception. I most recently will combine photographic processes and found materials from medical spaces with elements traditionally associated with femininity. This helps document embodied memory while inviting curiosity, wonder, and reflection.
At the heart of my practice is a question: Do we trust our own experience or the systems that interpret us?
I aim to challenge fixed perceptions, reveal unseen forces, and empower viewers to trust their inner knowing.
