Photo+Construct

Nicole Dextras
Vancouver, BC

Earth 2 (top) 36" x 26"
Fire 2 (bottom) 23" x 28" (SOLD!)

To inquire about purchasing this work
please contact Laura at 23 Sandy.

Artist Statement

Since my graduation from the Emily Carr College of Art in 1986, in the interdisciplinary department, I have been drawn to alternative processes. The basis of my work is an exploration of photography and sculpture. The junction where such disparate mediums meet continues to be a source of creative stimulus to my art making process. Moreover this experimental approach has proven to be a fertile ground for my analysis into the environment and the self, the viewer and the object, the past and the present.

This new series “Elements” takes the four major elements of fire, wind, water and earth as a departure point to address issues of authenticity within the confines of an ever-changing environment. Notions of identity, marginality and alienation permeate my work. My images are composed of solitary figures that seem lost, vulnerable and at odds with their surroundings: a woman stranded in a skiff on the forest floor, a half-bird creature surrounded by flames or a body cramped into a travel trunk adrift at sea. My approach to the subject matter is to show the damage and the beauty in the protagonist’s journey towards reclaiming his or her dignity and integrity. In addition, the inherent poignancy in the found object’s neglect embodies the duality of our nature in its simplicity, beauty and isolation.

Technically my focus continues to be alternative photography. I shoot mostly black and white and add colour through toners, oil paints, varnishes and stains. In addition I continue to pursue my interests in non-traditional techniques such as photo transfers onto fabric, glass and wood.

Artist Biography

Nicole Dextras graduated from the Emily Carr Institute in 1986 following her studies in graphic design at the Kootenay School of Art in 1980.

Dextras’ artwork has been exhibited throughout Canada and she participated in the Contact Photo Festival in Toronto from 2003 to 2005. Her work has been featured in Canadian and American publications and she has been the recipient of national and provincial grants. Her recent endeavors include: outdoor installations at the Banff Center, Artscape on Toronto Island and the Illuminaries Festival in Vancouver. She is currently a sessional teacher at the Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver BC Canada.

All images and text copyright the artist. All rights reserved.