(1961-1994)
Born: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Christopher Nickard was a Toronto-born, Buffalo, N.Y.-based photographer.
He graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 1984 with a BA in English, while the majority of his knowledge of still photography was self-taught. His work is included in various public and private collections throughout the U.S. and was exhibited at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, CEPA, Hallwalls, ArtMart, and Artspace, all located in Buffalo.
The work for which he is best known, a photo series entitled Studies for Survival in the Time of AIDS, was presented at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in 1994.He described the show, a series of 9 color prints depicting flower forms against a purple background, as follows: “The softness and warmth of each image results in a presentation accessible to even the most basic of viewers. Each piece is dedicated to a person with AIDS and the unique path that their struggle has led them down.” [1]
Nickard died of AIDS-related causes on December 16, 1994, at the age of 34.
[1] Christopher Nickard, quoted in “Christopher Nickard, October 13, 1961—December 16, 1994,” AIDS Watch Western New York, March/April 1995.