Natalie Christensen has exhibited work both nationally and internationally. She was one of five invited photographers for “The National 2018: 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 the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and the University of Texas at Tyler. She is represented by Turner Carroll Gallery and Susan Spiritus Gallery. 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.
The Deconstructed Self
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 drawn to the distinctive Southwestern light. The beauty of the natural environment is evident to most people; yet my interest was to explore the banal peripheral landscapes – the spaces that often go unnoticed. By photographing color fields and geometric shapes, 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 reaction to these objects and spaces that elicited interpretation.
As a psychotherapist, I learned the art of asking the question – in many ways these photographs are an extension of this line of 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 amusing…unquestionably present.
To view more of Natalie Christensen’s work please visit her website.