Nicole Nikolich’s Retro crochet artworks in exhibition
Artist Nicole Nikolich presents a series of hand-crocheted flip phones, Game Boy consoles, and computer icons in the 2000s for her solo show in Philadelphia. Exhibited at Paradigm Gallery + Studio from March 6th to 29th, 2026, the fiber artist, also known as Lace in the Moon, has produced more than 30 of these objects by hand, all of which are made from yarn. With a small hook and yarn, she builds each object stitch by stitch, and every piece is made of thousands of small loops. These patterns look like pixels on a screen, and in this way, soft yarn becomes a physical copy of these digital images.
Her objects are much bigger than the real ones. A flip phone that once fit in a pocket is now large and soft. Yes, it can still fold, but it is not as robust as the original model. In the crochet exhibition, there’s even a small game console that can be held like a pillow. Before she starts crocheting, Nicole Nikolich studies the object carefully. She looks at old photos and real devices and makes drawings and plans the colors. Then she turns the image into a crochet pattern, and a very detailed one. Each square of color must match the original screen or keyboard, so she maps every color and counts every stitch. Only after this work does she begin with yarn.
all images courtesy of Nicole Nikolich and Paradigm Gallery + Studio
Pieces include icons from early internet culture
Materiality speaks thoroughly in the artist Nicole Nikolich’s crochet exhibition at Paradigm Gallery + Studio in Philadelphia. Yarn is warm and soft, while old phones and consoles were hard and made of plastic and metal. By using fiber, Nikolich changes their feeling. The objects are no longer cold machines, as they transform into objects that are handmade, made by a human. Many of the works show early internet culture, with icons from old computer programs, like drawing tools and chat symbols. These designs were once made of simple 8-bit graphics.
Now, their shapes make up stitches that form small squares, like digital pixels. They’re no longer just on screens but also in the physical space, in reality, where users, although not advised, can run their hands and palms through to feel. The crochet exhibition, titled user_history, showcases how technology shaped social life. By recreating them in crochet and bringing them to a solo show, Nicole Nikolich preserves them. The work feels personal but also shared, as visitors are transported back to the days they owned and used the same phone or game console.
detailed view of the large-scale Motorola Razr
view of the hand-crocheted Blackberry phone
the artist has produced more than 30 of these objects by hand
some of the works depict the familiar computer icons from the 2000s
old logo of Internet Explorer
the exhibition at Paradigm Gallery + Studio runs from March 6th to 29th, 2026
project info:
name: user_history
artist: Nicole Nikolich | @lace_in_the_moon
gallery: Paradigm Gallery + Studio | @paradigmgs
location: 12 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
dates: March 6th to 29th, 2026
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