nedret andre
Cross-Cultural Intersections
Artist Statement
My paintings are about the intersections of different cultural influences. Growing up in London, I had the privilege of living among diverse traditions , and I continue to do so in Boston. I paint cross-cultural landscapes with Monetesque brush work which reflect the plural world we live in today. In my work, I reference Anatolian Kilim patterns, Asian ceramic designs, Bruegel’s landscapes, and Boston architecture.
My art does not provide a single all knowing narrative as with the 19th Century landscapes where viewers can project themselves into a deep perspectival space. I paint a shallow space where the illusion of deep space and flat symbolic space coincide- there is no ‘original’ field , only translations, and re-interpretations. Rather than be told what the world should look like, the viewers are confronted with paint on canvas and invited to make their own interpretation.
I am interested in the meeting points of where one element such as a flat giant scorpion symbol resides next to an image of industrial smoke stacks (located outside my studio) or parts of Bruegel’s landscape; or how at the intersection of two elements a whole new configuration can arise. These transition points provide a platform for re-thinking community. I depict this space of cultural exchange, where one world view does not over dominate the other- instead each element relies on one another for continuum.
