Artist Interview: Natalie Dark
I had such a pleasure learning more about Natalie Dark and her work. She’s a lovely soul and an incredible artist.
Natalie’s Bio:
Natalie Dark, born 1990 in Miami, Florida, is a self-taught Cuban-American artist currently living in New York City.
Most recently, Natalie’s work has been included in exhibitions at the historic Salmagundi Club in NYC, where she is a member, as well as at Harvard University’s University Place Gallery through the Cambridge Art Association. In 2019 she received the Audubon Artists, Inc. Award for her drawing, Casual Elegance, and was a finalist in the Art Renewal Center’s 14th Annual Salon (drawing category). Natalie’s piece Poder will be included in the upcoming American Women Artists’ 2020 Making Their Mark Exhibition at the Booth Western Art Museum, a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate, and has been awarded The Gargoyles Award for Work on Paper by the Salmagundi Club.
Natalie has a B.A. in Sociology from Stetson University, and an M.A. in Transnational Media & Globalization from City, University of London. She recently left a successful career as a consumer insights & market researcher in New York City to pursue art full-time.
Let’s dive in!
S: First of all, can you describe your earliest memory of being fascinated with an art piece or art in general?
N: Like many artists, I find it impossible to recall my earliest memory of being fascinated with art in general; I've never not been in love with art. BUT, I can absolutely recall the very first piece of art that I felt utterly fascinated with. I was maybe 10 or 11 years old and had seen very little art in my life (I don't come from an artistic family). One day my mom brought home a beautifully framed print of Mary Cassatt's The Child's Bath. I remember asking so many questions about the piece & the artist. To this day I have very vivid memories of feeling intensely moved by this piece of artwork & get choked up thinking about it. This was the first time that I saw art that represented me. I could see myself in that relationship between the mother & child, I felt so seen by this artist. And the fact that the painting was by a famous woman artist blew my mind, I didn't know they existed (like I said, I did not come from an artistic family). I wanted to know everything about Mary Cassatt. From art class book reports/projects in school, to a period of about 3 years when I relentlessly copied her works, I was obsessed. I still am.
S: I am Ukrainian-American, a first generation immigrant, and feel the importance of retaining the cultural aspect of myself in my life as well. You spoke about losing your sense of obvious cultural identity with the change of your name. How did you land on using Spanish titles in your work as reclaiming your cultural identity?
N: I wanted a way to attach my culture to my work in a visible way without having to be painfully obvious about it. I just wanted my culture to be a part of my work, the way it is part of me. Being Hispanic doesn't entirely define me and shouldn't entirely define my work, but it is absolutely a big part of who I am. So I decided that even if I lost my Spanish last name, my work could carry that on for me. By naming each piece in Spanish the work can speak for itself when you look at it, just as I can speak for myself when you look at me, as I do not look stereotypically Hispanic & my first name is Natalie, a very common American name. It's only when you read the name that you learn there is something more to the piece, another layer to it's story. These Spanish names do for my artwork what my maiden name, Delgado, did for me.
S: Do you struggle with issues of being bi-cultural, where you feel neither this or that, or do you feel completely fit in both cultures? Does that show up in your work or other areas of life?
N: ABSOLUTELY! I often describe myself as a walking, talking ethnic & cultural paradox. Having grown up bicultural, I have always felt a sense of fully belonging to both cultures, while never being fully included in either. “Too American for the Cubans, and too Hispanic for the Americans,” is how I describe my experience of moving through the world as an “in-between” (that's what I call it, because that's how it feels!). However, I would argue that I am not only simultaneously both and neither, but to an extent I feel that I am something completely unique. Being bicultural is it's very own experience & I think it is important to recognize that many people go through life without neatly fitting in the ethnic/cultural boxes we want to put them in, but their experiences are valid & actually quite special!
I use my work as a way to bring the viewer into this world of paradoxes by using what is typically considered a “low-brow” medium – colored pencils – to create “high-brow” art. My goal is to incite curiosity and a sense of contradiction in the viewer. I want my work to communicate what it feels like to be a paradox.
S: We love that you aim for igniting questions and a sense of contradiction within the viewer. What was it that inspired the need to bridge traditionally unusual concepts together in your work? (classical painting with pencils, social media and Dutch masters aesthetics, etc)
N: I felt so pressured by the art world to be easily classifiable (notice a trend here?) that one day I just gave up trying to be what everyone wanted me to be. I was tired of trying to make art that pleased other people, or that fit their preconceived notion of what something should be. So I started making what I wanted, what I was drawn to, what spoke to me.
This art is just me.
I am a Hispanic, millennial woman who loves a modern aesthetic, follows Instagram influencers, & lives for those meme accounts about being raised Hispanic in the U.S. Yet I love antique furniture, there's not a single Spanish song on my Spotify rotation, and I can't think of anything I am less interested in than "millennial pink."
So, what other art is someone like me going to make? Nothing really inspired me to bridge traditionally unusual concepts together in my work. I just finally allowed myself to make art that I wanted for myself, without any regard for what other people would think of it.
S: We are strong believers that the more people discuss failure, the less significant the possibility of it becomes. In our society, we are so terrified of possibility of something not working out, that it halts our efforts to begin with. We ask all of our interviewees if they can share a time where something did not work out and how did you move forward?
N: I love this! I am such a perfectionist & struggle with this all the time, so I am very happy to answer this question!
When I think of a time something didn't work out, I immediately think of any exhibit, project, competition, etc. that either fell through or I wasn't chosen for. I can't really think of a specific opportunity that didn't work out on the spot, but that's because of how I have taught myself to approach these things. I am not immune to feeling the sting of rejection, but when I do I immediately remind myself that it is a) okay to feel that sting, and b) that this is just part of the process. I will never be chosen for everything. So, when something doesn't work out, my mantra is "Well that sucks. Ok, now get over it, that's done & we aren't wasting time thinking about that. What's next?"
This is business, it really isn't personal.
S: Any events, projects, or exhibits you'd like to share with the audience?
N: Yes! My piece, Poder, will be exhibited this summer (May 27 - August 23, 2020) at Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, GA for the Making Their Mark: American Women Artists exhibition!
Making Their Mark is part of the American Women Artists' 25 in 25 initiative, which aims to secure 25 museum exhibitions for women artists, over the next 25 years. Like All SHE Makes, AWA is looking to elevate women's art, and because women artists only makes up 3 – 5% of the permanent holdings of art museums in America, the AWA has decided to do something about it!
You can find Natalie’s work via her website nataliedarkart.com
Natalie’s IG: @nataliedarkart
