Jade Mikell

JADE MIKELL (b. 1996) is a disabled artist and activist. She lives on unceded Lək̓ʷəŋən land by way of unceded Taystayič. She earned her BFA with Distinction (cum laude) from the University of Victoria in 2023. Mikell works in painting, sculpture...

JADE MIKELL (b. 1996) is a disabled artist and activist. She lives on unceded Lək̓ʷəŋən land by way of unceded Taystayič. She earned her BFA with Distinction (cum laude) from the University of Victoria in 2023. Mikell works in painting, sculpture, installation, words, movement and (upcoming) sound to investigate subjects like inheritance, labour, hierarchy, social currency and sustainability through the lens of disability. Recent work has cited her upbringing in Anthroposophy and undergoing ABA therapy to emphasise the demoralising and endangering effects of institutional inaccessibility. Mikell often inspects the moral inadequacy assigned to disability in these environments through repurposing associated symbols and motifs, often posited to have curative effect. in production, Mikell locates supplies entirely from sources which interrupt the sequence of consumption and disposal; upcycled, salvaged, and repurposed materials. Mikell is interested in how accessibility and sustainability often conflict, and intends to question how we might practise sustainability and conservation without relying on exclusion. Jade Mikell’s work has been exhibited and collected internationally. Her work has been exhibited by Visionary Projects NYC, The Fifty Fifty Arts Collective, Audain Gallery, B.L.O.C.K.H.O.U.S.E. and more. Her most recent international solo exhibition, Vuelve, Oración en el Cielo opened earlier this year at Casa Lü—El Sur in México City, presenting Mikell’s research which compared how migratory birds and disabled bodies navigate climate instability. Her work has been published on ArtConnect, Behind Art (formerly Parrot), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and more. Awards for Mikell include a Canada Arts Council Explore and Create (Research and Creation) Grant, an Innovate Grant Honourable Mention and a MyMa Art Grant Honourable Mention.