Tumblr Artist

Nicole Natri | nicolenatri (b.1982, Sweden) - Untitled. All antique mixed media collage on paper (2007)

The collages of Swedish artist, Nicole Natri, are made almost solely out of antique material. This involves quite a lot of preparation and has resulted in a vast collection of books, magazines, cut-outs and photos. “Looking for the right material is an important part of the creative process but does also delay the actual work.” Nicole is a storyteller and very interested in the everyday-drama: what we choose to do with our lives and why. Her images, being based on a focal narrative, often involve familiar characters: “Beginning with a particular memory or condition - may it be from own experience or not - I add and remove elements until the work is completed. It’s an ongoing process and I often find it hard to know when to stop, to feel completely satisfied with the result. On the other hand I’m intrigued by the actual difficulty in telling stories using quite a few elements, less is (often) more.”

Liminality and a sense of exclusion are two reoccurring themes in Nicole’s work. “I guess this has to do with how I choose to approach the concerns I have. My interpretations are at the same time my personal grids through which I see and try to make things more tangible. This does not mean I try to romanticize my own personal feelings or experiences of loneliness or nostalgia in any way. That would only be presumptuous,” she told us  “I also refuse to be ingratiating in my work, being a defendant of a certain seriousness that may very well come across as pretentious. Not everything can (or should) be made banal. Like most artists I almost feel compelled to keep on working, it’s a necessity in me to convey whatever stories I have.” (interview with artist by ARTchipel Nov-2011)

You can find Nicole’s work on her website www.nicolenatri.com (new website coming soon!) or by following her Tumblr nicolenatri.tumblr and Facebook.

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