Deana Nastic IN BLACK AND WHITE MEANING COMES TO LIGHT

The internationally renowned photographer opens the doors to her work at Toronto’s Izzy Gallery

WRITTEN BY MARC CASTALDO

Walking through Toronto’s Yorkville, home to fashion, fine dining and all things first-class, is always an experience that is second to none. But when I step into the Izzy Gallery, time slows down and everything outside those front doors ceases to exist. It seems as if I have stepped into a time capsule containing different moments in time. As I look at the photographs on display, I quickly feel the impact that photography can have on the soul. With just one click of the shutter, a moment in a greater story has been captured forever.

As I am appreciating how one piece has captured the motion of the human figure, Deana Nastic, the artist herself, welcomes me with a beautiful and warm smile. Although I can tell she is excited to share her story and her work in an exclusive interview with Dolce, I detect a hint of nervousness — the acclaimed photographer has now herself become the subject. Exposing the raw, mysterious and sensual human condition is more in Nastic’s comfort zone than discussing her art itself or the philosophy behind her subject matter — a common trait of a genuine artist.

From an early age, Nastic was drawn to artistic expression. “As a kid, I was always drawing, painting and making collages,” she recalls. “Around Grade 3 or 4 in elementary school, I got an award for a drawing, and I think that encouraged me to pursue art further.”

Today, photography is her chosen language and she speaks it fluently, with her work represented at Izzy Gallery in Toronto and exhibited internationally — from New York’s Space Gallery to Immagis in Munich, and she has signed a contract with the Galerie Gadcollection in Paris. Her reputation as a thought-provoking photographer is built on the emotional response her extraordinarily unique work evokes, her creative process is as instinctive as it is immersive. Pre-production planning for photo shoots is thrown out the window. Instead, Nastic shows up at the studio and instructs the subject then and there. Her style of photography does not consist of staging or precision but in the spontaneity of the moment — so much so that when she looks at the finished photo, recapturing it or replicating the shot in any way is nearly impossible.

“Photography is not representational. I’m looking for these hidden spontaneous moments and moods and looking at what is behind the smile,” she explains.

Nastic’s use of long exposures is her signature technique, a method that evokes a sense of slowing down time and getting lost in the moment.

Looking at Nastic’s work up close with her standing next to me, an undeniably surreal moment, I shared my thoughts with her. “Your work captures a singular motion that feels chaotic but also smooth at the same time,” I say.

She smiles and nods. “I’m always thinking about how people feel, and whether there is anything that we can see from outside, and what the subject is feeling on the inside,” she replies. “What are their thoughts, their moods? I’m looking for these hidden moments and trying to make them visible.”

As for what lies ahead, Nastic remains open to evolving on her terms and is excited to announce her upcoming exhibition in Greece this summer at the Rarity Gallery in Mykonos, where she will debut her Silhouettes collection.

“I’m excited about the show,” she says. “I want to continue sharing my art with other people and provoke feelings in them when they look at my art.”

My conversation with Nastic has allowed her to reflect on the entirety of her career, including those parts of it when she has not been behind the camera lens but in the classroom, as an educator. She has taught at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the College of Art in Athens, where she encouraged students to find their signature style.

She has not mapped out the next phase of her journey, instead remaining true to the same spontaneity and originality that have shaped her artistry. “For now, I will stay with photography. I might experiment even more, but my tool will be a camera,” she says, smiling.

When asked about her dolce vita, her response is simple: “To keep dreaming and dancing.”

@deana.nastic