NATALIE CHRISTENSEN
THE DECONSTRUCTED SELF
THE DECONSTRUCTED SELF
all works are archival natural pigment prints on Italian cotton rag mounted to aluminum Dibond with satin laminate
THE DECONSTRUCTED SELF STATEMENT ON EXHIBITION
In 2014 I moved from the state of Kentucky to New Mexico leaving my lifelong home and my 25-year career as a psychotherapist behind. While it was an exciting moment it was also a time of questioning and reflection. Like many artists who have come to New Mexico, I was immediately drawn to the distinctive Southwestern light. The beauty of the natural environment is evident to most people; however, my interest was to explore the more banal peripheral landscapes that often go unnoticed by the casual observer. I began by photographing color fields and geometric shapes. I was interested in the way light and shadow could spark complex narratives, and I quickly became aware that these isolated moments in the suburban landscape were rich with metaphor. Closed and open doors, empty parking lots and forgotten swimming pools drew me to a scene; yet it was my reactions to these objects and spaces that elicited interpretation and projection. As a psychotherapist, I learned the art of asking the question – in many ways these photographs are an extension of that work. The symbols and spaces in my images are an invitation to explore a rich world that is concealed from consciousness. And the scenes are an enticement to contemplate narratives that have no remarkable life or history yet tap into something deeply familiar to our experience; often disturbing, sometimes amusing‌unquestionably present.
THE DECONSTRUCTED SELF INSTALLATION SPECIFICS
Allow me to acquaint you with “The Deconstructed Self” and its photographic theme. Shadows and psychological metaphors are favored photographic subjects for me. I attribute this to my prior work as a psychotherapist for over 25 years, which called upon me to explore the hidden, the unconscious. I am interested in capturing the mundane, the overlooked, the in-between, for even in ordinary places I sometimes I get a glimpse of the sublime. When this happens, it feels like I have discovered gold. The photographs in this exhibition represent that gold. My immersive exhibit will include eleven to thirty artworks, each ranging in scale and presentation. The images are simple and contemplative. Flowing through the space, the viewer will be engaged in varying levels of intimacy through post card to life-sized works. From knee-high to above eye-level, the artworks will be presented in a non-linear fashion. Some pieces will reside in deep, square wall-mounted boxes, encouraging the viewer to lean in, peer and discover. Once immersed, they will feel like a participant with me as I shot in these forgotten places. For me, the boxes represent psychological compartmentalization. As such, the viewer and the artwork will be segregated from the larger experience. Other pieces will have only two or three sides to their standard depth frames. Deconstructed. With a reverent nod to minimalism and the spaces created by Donald Judd – uncluttered, spare and sculptural, viewers will move through a range of moods and scenes, slowly evolving into the realm of wonder and a profound, personal sensation. Single words or phrases from the “Deconstructed Self” statement will be quietly floating in space - nearly invisible in their color tone.
THE DECONSTRUCTED SELF ELEVATION RENDERINGS
Courtesy of : PARE STRATEGIES parestrategies.com
ABOUT THE ARTIST Photographer Natalie Christensen has an inimitable, and enchanting, focus on the exploration of the more banal peripheral landscapes that often go unnoticed by the casual observer. “I quickly became aware that these isolated moments in the suburban landscape were rich with metaphor. Closed and open doors, empty parking lots and forgotten swimming pools draw me to a scene; yet it was my reactions to these objects and spaces that elicited interpretation and projection.” Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, she has exhibited her photographs in the U.S. and internationally, including Santa Fe, New York, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Barcelona. She was recently honored as an invited guest of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, D.C. and joined a select delegation of architects, architectural photographers and curators for a oneweek cultural tour of the UAE. The Los Angeles A+D Architecture and Design Museum will host a debut of the resulting exhibition in late 2020. This UAE exhibition will travel globally with destinations to be announced. Christensen also looks forward to a major solo show with the Fort Worth Community Art Center, and Expressions West put forth by Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon. Christensen had worked as a psychotherapist for over 25 years and was particularly influenced by the theories of depth psychologist Carl Jung. This influence is evident in her photographs, as shadows and psychological metaphors are favored subjects. The symbols and spaces in my images are an invitation to explore a rich world that is concealed from consciousness, and an enticement to contemplate narratives that have no remarkable life yet tap into something deeply familiar to our experience; often disturbing, sometimes amusing…unquestionably present.” In Santa Fe, her work is inspired by commonplace architecture and streetscapes. She realizes that the places she frequents for her images are probably not what people visualize when they think of Santa Fe, a major tourist destination with a carefully cultivated image. “I don’t have to go anywhere special to make my photography; instead I find my images around shopping centers, apartment complexes and office parks.” Choosing to shoot in locations that may be viewed as uninteresting or even visually offputting, Christensen finds this challenging, to “see” something hidden in plain sight, noting “it is our
nature to ignore what is unpleasant, but sometimes I get a glimpse of the sublime in these ordinary places. When I find it, it feels like I have discovered gold.” Christensen is repeatedly drawn to the swimming pool as a metaphor for the unconscious. In American culture, pools symbolize the luxury of leisure. Yet she also sees a darker interpretation - evoking repressed desires, unexplained tension and looming disaster. “These photographs of a manufactured oasis suggest a binary connection between the world above and the world below, linking submersion in water with the workings of the subconscious.” She dismantles all of these scenes to color fields, geometry and shadow. She shoots every day and is almost never without a camera. Lucie Foundation selected Christensen as one of the top 10 global photographers in Summer 2020, the winning artists will be featured in Fall 2020 issue of Musée Magazine. The Royal Photographic Society recently presented her artwork in a traveling museum exhibition throughout the United Kingdom, and had her as a guest lecturer. She led a photography workshop there, as well at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. Christensen has participated in collaborative site-specific projects at Iconic
Standard Vision Billboard, Los Angeles; El Rey Court, Santa Fe; University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; and Peckham Levels, London. She has been named one of "Ten Photographers to Watch" by the Los Angeles Center of Digital Art. As one of five invited photographers for “The National 2018: Best of Contemporary Photography” at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Indiana, her work was purchased for the permanent collection. Christensen was also the Purchase Prize recipient of the 33rd Annual International Exhibition at the University of Texas at Tyler. Christensen’s photographs are in private and corporate collections. Her work has received awards, including top finalist of 48,000 entries for the Smithsonian’s 15th Annual Photo Contest and Honorable Mentions for the Julia Margaret Cameron Award and the Chromatic Awards. Global media have taken notice, with features in, among others, Xi Draconis Books; LandEscape Art Review, United Kingdom; Better Photography Magazine, India; Art Reveal Magazine; Magazine 43, Philippines, Germany and Hong Kong; Site Unseen; Lens Culture; All About Photo and Women in Photography.
CONTACT n.christensen@artworkinternational.com nataliechristensenphoto.com +1 505 982 7447 Instagram