The Deconstructed Self

This series was inspired by a decision to move from my lifelong home in Kentucky to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The impetus for the move was unplanned and occurred at a time when I was also dealing with the decision to leave behind my professional identity as a psychotherapist.  The bright light and deep shadows of the Southwest immediately drew me in and I began to explore the urban landscape with my camera.

My photographs are a study of color fields, geometric shapes, negative space and light. My long-time work as a psychotherapist and love of abstract painting has influenced my work; I am using the symbols and spaces of the Southwest to reveal psychological metaphors – closed and open doors, shadows, and swimming pools are some of the subjects that draw me in.  These images are shot in a banal suburban landscape; I am interested in the places that others pass by, and I want to draw attention to the drama that others overlook. My images emphasize what is happening within the frame, yet they also ask the viewer to contemplate what exists just beyond the edges and cannot be known.

For me, these symbols and spaces touch on a part of the self that exists in the unconscious mind – reminding us that there is always something just below the surface of awareness threatening to reveal something new.

Bio

Natalie Christensen is a photographer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is a frequent contributor to online contemporary and fine art photography magazines, has won several regional awards, and shown work in the U.S. and internationally including London, Dusseldorf, New York and Los Angeles. She is one of five invited photographers for the exhibition The National 2018: Best of Contemporary Photography at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and has recently been named one of “Ten Photographers to Watch” by the Los Angeles Center of Digital Art.  In addition to pursuing her interests in art and design, Natalie worked as a psychotherapist for over 25 years and has been particularly influenced by the work of depth psychologist, Carl Jung. This influence is evidenced in her photographs, as shadows and psychological metaphors are favored subjects.