Aria Nadii

Artist's Statement

I have always been fascinated by the patina of age on objects and paper. It is a reminder of the beauty and power of nature and that she always reclaims. These small works are constructed of painted images and glazes, printed and composted papers, embroidered fabrics, discarded remnants, disintegrating book pages, fine ink drawings and fragments of previous works which have been cut up and incorporated into new compositions.

The use of transparent media such as lacquers allow deeper layers and to peek through in parts of the image. The result is a small object evocative of an artifact. This continuous process of recontextualization is what gives the constructions their three dimensional depth. The technique is influenced by the palimpsest of illuminated manuscripts and the the delicate miniatures of the Far East.

The artisans of my nomadic ancestors worked on a small scale or in textiles. This is partly for the reason that compact or rolled objects are easier to travel with. They used personal images that told a story and were well suited to an intimate size.

The materials had a history and often they were combined to tell a story. Tattered clothing, torn tapestries, old books, embroidered scraps, extra ribbon, broken mirrors, and various other discards were made into evocative and decorative works of art. Nothing was ever wasted. When something out lived its usefulness it was given new life as something else.