Artwork Description
Natalie Christensen – Stuck between what we have done and what we’re going to do
Dimensions: 61 x 41 x 1.5″ framed / 60 x 40″ finished size
Year: 2019
Medium: archival pigment print on cotton rag, aluminum dibond, satin UV lamination
Edition: 1/2
In 2014 Natalie Christensen moved from the state of Kentucky to New Mexico leaving her lifelong home and 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, she was immediately drawn to the distinctive Southwestern light. The beauty of the natural environment is evident to most people; however, her interest was to explore the more banal peripheral landscapes that often go unnoticed by the casual observer. Christensen began by photographing color fields and geometric shapes. She was interested in the way light and shadow could spark complex narratives, and 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 her to a scene; yet it was the reactions to these objects and spaces that elicited interpretation and projection.
As a psychotherapist, Christensen learned the art of asking the question – in many ways these photographs are an extension of that work. The symbols and spaces in her 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 amusing…unquestionably present.
Natalie has shown her work in exhibitions around the world, including London, Berlin, New York and Los Angeles. She was one of five invited photographers for “The National: Best of Contemporary Photography” at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and was recently named one of “Ten Photographers to Watch” at the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art. Her photographs are in the permanent collections of museums and institutions as well as numerous private collections. Natalie is represented by Turner Carroll Gallery in Santa Fe. When Natalie isn’t looking for photos behind forgotten shopping centers you can find her checking her Instagram feed while hiking the mountains around Santa Fe.