Artist’s statement: Olav Nielsen 2006

My works of previous years have often been characterized by a looking in to the shadows of my consciousness to see what forms would emerge. in the past two years I have turned my view in the opposite direction, into the light, both to truly see it but also to illuminate areas of myself that I am, as yet, unaware of. It is only looking back over the last three years work that I'm starting to see the process that I've been going through. Both technically and conceptually I have been exploring the dynamics of my internal spaces through the use of light and shadow.

More specifically the architectural structures are always a metaphor for the structures of the psyche, the light is the energy and life that permeates the inner spaces and the animals and fish are symbols of the more physical energies that are inherent in the body.

As in these earlier works, dreams continue to be a daily inspiration in my work, an endless source of meaningful material.

I feel that in recent years I have taken a far more active role in the processing of dream material which I experience each night, the creative process for me is to work with this very personal raw material and transform it in a conscious exploration of its contents, the dream may be a starting point but once it comes to creating the image I blend it with places and visual impressions of my waking world,, in a way facilitating a conversation between my conscious and not so conscious aspects.

2006 Exhibition Notes

Long dusky shadows, a cool lone breeze and a warm amber glow, one feels a sense of solitude, of journeys traveled and of a future yet unknown. Mystery lurks in every dark corner and crevice, the viewer is privileged to capture glimpses of unoccupied interiors that speak of a human presence which has recently departed. This is personal space, a private residence where one feels the traditional discomfort of intrusion. Nielsen has positioned the viewer on the inside looking out which is a little unnerving, and leads one to wonder what lies beyond doors which sit slightly ajar and in drawers which offer a hint of their contents. These interiors are spacious with high ceilings that immediately resemble the Victorian villa but also appear reconfigured by the artist reflecting the strength associated with an architectural structure while simultaneously communicating the potential of impending change and development. Hallways, entrance ways and foyers seem to be the extent to which the viewer is currently allowed to explore the spaces portrayed.

Looking out the front windows one glimpses a cultivated garden where flaxes and cabbage trees flourish which in combination with the perceived architecture give the work a uniquely New Zealand flavour . It is difficult for the viewer to identify a time frame for the works — both the subtle earthy colour scheme and the architectural qualities of the Victorian villa lead one to consider the works connection with the past. Like a photograph the works come across as a fleeting moment of time captured and held static as a documented memory of the artist’s journey. A consistent reference to electricity leads one to again question this time and space as one glimpses power poles in the landscape or fuse boxes in entrance ways.

The typical villa positioned rooms off a central hallway, the principal being that no room should have to be reached through another. In its arrangement of space the Victorian villa worked to enforce strict rules of etiquette. Principal bedrooms were typically located closest to the front entrance and the central hallway served as part of the homes hierarchal organisation of space. A hallway was often divided at the point where one would enter the service quarters of the home. This could have been indicated by an archway emphasised by heavy curtains, a glass feature may also have been incorporated to ensure light could also filter through into the passageway beyond. These features served as a sign of status within the home and worked to avoid awkward confrontations with household staff, an alternative stairway may also have been employed for this purpose. The tension between family and servants once strongly influenced housing design dictating the time and place of all interactions occurring within the residence.

The Victorian villa was architecturally concerned with the private/public functions of interior space. Around the time of the World War I a sharp decline in the availability of young women for domestic service contributed to an end to the live-in servant. This inevitably led to the 1920s villa reflecting a reallocation of space at the rear of the home which was generally reserved for service quarters. Bathrooms were expanded, toilets were relocated back under the main roof and laundry rooms were moved from the outhouse to the back porch. Nielsen’s interiors do not reflect the Victorian tendency to cover bare wall surfaces with pattered papers and friezes nor are the mantels and feature walls adorned with photographs and/or family mementoes. A villas exterior was equally carefully considered, for example the front door was often screened from the street by a large hedge, and this enabled visitors to enter in privacy.

Nielsen’s carefully planned works provoke consideration of ones very notion of what a home is, what its practical function is and how it acts as a symbol. In its basic structure the home functions as a shelter from the elements providing a roof to shield one from the wind and rain, and from strangers and or intruders. However this notion of shelter also extends to providing an emotional shelter, protection from the problems of the outside world, a place of retreat, a private space for contemplation and healing. One easily finds reference by New Zealand artists and writers to places of spiritual retreat, a refuge which allows for space to live and breathe, a place to work and to be alone. Artists have often spoken of the dilemma of not feeling at home of living and working alone on the margins of society. The home has traditionally been associated with the restrictions inherent of respectability and the associated judgments made to enforce ideals relating to inherent gender roles and family structures.

A home of one’s own has been encouraged and is thought to have been instrumental in New Zealander’s sense of national and personal identity. A home can be viewed as malleable to the needs and desires of its occupant therefore embodying a sense of self that can be displayed to the world. Owning a home for many has been accepted as part of a traditional life cycle which leads to marriage and beginning a family. The home has been thought of as a place of strength and union but can equally be thought of as fragile as such a sense is easily corrupted by discord. So what is Nielsen saying about his notion of a home? What is it to find or make a home? Is one defined by the home one was raised in? In posing such questions Nielsen’s works read as a passage of discovery — the artist’s journey of self discovery, constructing personal spaces, a place to be, a place of retreat, a place to be alone.

Here the home is constructed by the artist as both an exploration of time and space. The spaces are reflective of an era past and for this reason ask questions about the past and how this impacts on the present. Reminiscent of so many Victorian villas in New Zealand which are no longer occupied by families but have been converted then rented as short term accommodation; Nielsen’s interiors appear more as spaces of solitude and silence. Some doors are open; others slightly ajar and some still remain closed. The artist is making a series of decisions — selecting spaces to reveal and others to remain hidden, these areas may be explored gradually as Nielsen continues this journey. In many of the works an open book can be seen lying on the floor by the door or by an old worn chair which may be indicative of the artists quest for learning and knowledge or a sign to the viewer that here the artist is an open book revealing parts of himself? constructing an identity which may be displayed to the world.

These spaces are surrounded by windows which allow light to flood in onto the old wooden floors casting long amber shadows. Light is an ongoing concern for Nielsen as suggested in the title of the work Flight Path of a Moth. Much like a moth the artist is drawn to the light which provides ever increasing illumination from the darkness. Fish and dogs are a recurring themes in Nielsen’s prints. Dogs roam restlessly in hallways, or excitedly run to greet an unseen visitor while fish swim through dark pebbled spaces or lie unnaturally on the wooden floors.

New work allows one a new view, a wide view of the landscape which surrounds the ethereal Victorian villa. The viewer is now on the outside standing in the darkness of a cool autumn evening looking towards the villa and the warm light emanating from within. In the foreground a large fish with a soft pink glow lifts its head above the surface of the waves as if trying to capture the last rays of the suns warmth. This wave is unusual as it seamlessly becomes earth with autumn leaves blowing across its surface. Here the earth, sea and sky are linked by the wave in the foreground which characteristically resembles the curve of the blowing curtains that repeatedly appear in other works. Here Nielsen is continuing to construct his own personal space both internally and externally.

Nielsen utilises the burnished aquatint and more recently the mezzotint printmaking process to capture the careful and laborious detail in his works. Both techniques are based on the principal of working manually into a textured surface. On completion of the drawing the plate is inked and printed onto paper. Nielsen comfortably moves between the traditional and the contemporary emphasising that one is shaped by history, by the experiences and memories which are retained and reconstructed in order to navigate a possible future.

Kathryn Mitchell BFA MFA