Arabelle Sicardi is a writer and multi-disciplinary creative whose work explores the politics of beauty, labor, and technology. A former beauty editor and the founder of the Museum of Nails Foundation, their practice spans performance, scent, archiving, and installation. Their writing has appeared in ALLURE, New York Magazine, and SSENSE, and they have been in residence at MacDowell, Yaddo, and CultureHub. Through poetic and participatory formats, Sicardi investigates systems of care, power, and value from queer, feminist, and diasporic perspectives.
“Tech Tips is a participatory performance where human craft and machine mimicry collide in a speculative nail salon. I use nail art—a site of care, culture, and undervalued labor—as a lens to examine what we demand from beauty and technology. By tracking the visible and invisible costs of creation in real time, I invite audiences to reckon with value, authorship, and sustainability. This project continues my practice of making embodied, sensory installations that challenge extractive systems while honoring the intimacy of everyday labor.”