Self-Portrait Intervened Photographs in a Collaboration by Nature & Artist: Photographs left outdoors for weeks to be weathered down by the sun, rain, wind, dirt, sand & salt water. Painted with coffee, sand & mud.
Details Sewn by Hand with Needle & Thread.
Manually Written & Drawn by scratching the emulsion off the surface of the photograph with sharp tools.
Self-portraits titled 'AutoPortrait', Nina explores her rebirth as a woman during her recovery from her total hysterectomy occurring at the same time as a global pandemic. Using this time as an introspection and self discovery creation.
She experiences the self-portraiture in union with nature, representing a growth from the hand of mother earth. The series features photographic prints sewn by hand, using a needle and thread. This artistic process represents the transformation of her body. Stitching photographs by hand is a meditative process, connecting her to her lineage; her seamstress grandmother and all the women ancestors who worked with her hands. Similarly, the series features her characteristic style of writing and drawing on her photographs by scratching. This detail of the writing is the influence of her artist and calligrapher mother who always inspired her to unite visual art with the art of letters. Through this process, she also regains control of her narrative, externalizing her hidden scars. The work presents the power to question, confront, rebel and learn what it means to be a woman.
