Nicole Strafaci

Nicole Strafaci
Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA

STATEMENT

I think of my pieces as portals; gateways to an energy vortex. I am inspired by my emotional reactions to my life and to the world around me. Through my work, I hope to communicate on a visceral level. I believe that if we delve deep inside the personal experiences of our lives, we transcend them and communicate on a universal level.

In the studio, I am endlessly alternating between conscious choice and chance; intentional mark making and the unexpected beautiful accidents. My collage paintings often include paper, fabric, image transfers, painting and drawing. Imagery is often a balance between figurative and abstract and explores such topics as femininity, beauty, environmental decay, and natural and urban landscapes.

BIO

Nicole Strafaci is a multi media artist. Primarily a collage artist, she has also created wearable art and soft sculpture and has written and executed solo performance pieces. The artist lived in Los Angeles, California for 13 years. Los Angeles expanded her creative repertoire to include performance , writing and fashion.

Currently based in Frenchtown, New Jersey, Nicole grew up in Central New Jersey in a home filled with Victorian furniture and an enormous collection of tchotchkes. These odd juxtapositions made a lasting impression and instilled an affinity for collage. Her mother’s vintage business inspires her work and exposed her to vintage fabrics, period clothing and treasure hunting. Scouring thrift and antique shops, Nicole finds beauty and inspiration in discarded objects.

The artist received a BFA in photography from Montclair State University with studies abroad in Italy and Holland. Her love of collage was further developed in the darkroom when she witnessed portraits appear in the developer. The transition from photographic live subject to printed image was a defining experience for her akin to a kind of psychological collage. She began creating her first collages. One of these early works was sold to Director of Imaging and Photography at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

Nicole’s work is included in private collections in the US and abroad and she has participated in many juried group shows and 8 solo exhibitions. She has received 3 “Best in Show” awards. One of these was at Westbeth Gallery, New York City and was awarded by the internationally esteemed art critic, poet, essayist, and educator David Levi Strauss.

Other notable projects and achievements include an enthusiastic review of her work by legendary photographer Duane Michals, co-hosting an art panel discussion, reproductions of her work in the Hand Magazine, art commissions, and writing reviews for a Los Angeles based art magazine. In 2019, Nicole began a project called Art Body; a monthly art and culture discussion and livestream. Nicole co-hosts Art Body with M galleries in Washington, New Jersey. She was commissioned to create wearable art for New York Times best selling author Kami Garcia and has sold her collage cards to boutiques and stores including Neiman Marcus and Barneys.

ARTIST CONTACT

(213) 840-9434
[click to email]
nicolestrafaci.com

IMAGES