ABOUT THE ARTIST            

Nina was born in 1974 in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, and spent most of her adolescent years in Amsterdam. In 1994, she attended the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, an independent and internationally oriented university of applied sciences for Fine Arts and Design in Amsterdam. After her art education, she decided to 'paint from life'. Nina traveled to various countries and settled in New York in 2001.  

From a very young age, Nina's insatiable curiosity about the minds and souls of human beings motivated her to create art as a poem, a story. As a child, she often wished to be a foreigner, see society from another perspective, and break free from her social norms. Breaking free became the one reason to travel. She started following her compass instead of society's expectations and became a foreigner as a first-generation immigrant in the United States. All the themes of her artworks are part of the stories she heard, lived or learned along the way. To this day she paints from life.

  “My works are narrative poems of life. They emerge from my insatiable curiosity into the mind and soul, whereafter they take off on their journey”.  

While living in New York, she fell into the secondary art and design market by chance, where she learned all about the inner workings of the Art and Design world. Her direct interaction with the Masters of the Arts in the secondary market greatly influenced her work.  

ARTIST STATEMENT

My creative process started early in life with a curiosity in the minds and souls of human beings. In combination with my personal life experiences, my artwork began to study and reflect integral parts of society, popular culture, and the complexity of the soul. It explores what makes people who they are, their stories, and their guarded hidden sides. Some parts of that narrative are personal to me.

I try to provoke feelings and move minds. It is part of our growth, innovation, and understanding of our role in this world. Therefore, the observers are always an integral part of my artwork. I do not try to influence what they feel or think. That is part of their journey.

As a contemporary figurative painter, my work shows constraint and tension in a dance of sharp shadows and lines representing movement, vibration, and sound. An extra dimension added through layers changes a 2-dimensional flat canvas into a 3-dimensional experience. I work with acrylics because I appreciate their unforgiving nature and the demands of quick action. It gets the raw concept out. I believe this might evoke the emotions of others when they view the work. 

CURRENT PROJECTS

Nina is currently working on a series #ofwhichiam in which she explores the development and role of cultural heritage on an individual.

Cultural awareness can help break down cultural barriers and build bridges, by learning how to appreciate and respect those who are different from you. You come to understand more about yourself and your own culture, you'll learn how to relate better to individuals from different cultural backgrounds which can lead to peace. I call all artists. Join me in #ofwhichiam movement for cultural understanding and peace.