Joost Nikkessen is trained as an art historian and art educator. In 2021, he finished his MA in Modern and Contemporary Art (cum laude) at Utrecht University. His thesis offers a queer reading of Marcel Duchamp's and Claude Cahun's self-portraits. He focuses on museum education as well as new relations between museums and audiences. He is also interested in embodied culture, such as performance, fashion, gender and queer histories. 

Joost has a background in museum education and edu-curation. He co-designed the first educational programming of Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, organised Amsterdam Museum's queer talks and tours, and curated exhibitions and public programmes with diverse communities, within and outside the museum.

At present, he is a Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Art at Utrecht University. In addition to teaching various BA courses, he is active as a tutor and internship supervisor.