Meet the Artist: Nika Feldman
Textiles specialist helped students create masks
Artist Nika Feldman was invited to work with youth from Sherwood Park Education Centre and SPEC drama group as part of a special Lumière Lantern Project. Over three days this summer, the group built masks and developed characters to inhabit during the Lumière Art-at-Night opening parade. Everyone is welcome to bring a lantern and join them at 7 p.m. in front of the YMCA on Charlotte Street.
Hometown: Middle River Age: 45
What is your artistic medium? Textiles
What first inspired you to work in this medium? Seeing clothing from around the world through the pages of National Geographic magazine as a kid.
What is your favourite work of art? Why? Instead of a single piece of artwork, I’d rather say that some of my favorite artists are: Ann Hamilton, Doris Salcedo, and Kara Walker. Besides the fact that all of their work is so powerful and genuine, it is also clear that they all have unique voices and forms of expression that push boundaries.
Do you have a favourite piece of work that you’ve created? Yes, but it is more a “body of work” rather than a single piece. It is the work I made while living in Kyoto, Japan, for a two-year period on a Japanese government scholarship.
What makes it stand out in your memory? I was intimately connected to the work, as it was how I found a way to process the grief of the death of my husband at the time. I
was raw and the work was raw, and for me rawness is everything, as genuine as something can be. As an artist I’ve never been interested in beauty or perfection, in fact I find them dull.
What prompted you to participate in Lumière? When I saw the call for a guest artist to run a youth workshop I was excited to apply and happy to be accepted. I love working with youth especially when it is art related! I cherish the opportunity to be able to share encouragement and pass on the creative impulses of individuality.
What do you hope people will take away from your Lumière project? Well for me, those “people” would be the youth that participated in my workshop who will be part of Lumière’s opening parade wearing the masks they created. It is my hope that they all enjoyed the process of making their unique papier-mâché character inspired by what the night represents to them. And it is my hope that because of the hands-on process they will have a deeper understanding of the festival, the art they see in the festival, and of course art in general.
The Lumière Lantern Parade Project is made possible with support from the province of Nova Scotia. Lumière’s ArtAt-Night event will take place Saturday, Sept. 23 from 7:00 p.m. to midnight in the Sydney Waterfront District. For more information on the festival, visit www.lumierecb.com.
“I was raw and the work was raw, and for me rawness is everything, as genuine as something can be. As an artist I’ve never been interested in beauty or perfection, in fact I find them dull.”