Lindi Nielsen - Meet the Artist
Exceptional Evocative Contemporary Artwork
Every piece of Lind’s artwork conveys an emotional story. Lindi Nielsen devours life and infuses her artwork with her experiences.
An interview with the artist - Lindi Nielsen
How would you describe yourself and your artwork?
As an artist, I'm free-spirited, independent in mind and body, and full of love. My art is limitless,
large-scale, colourful, vibrant, and free of rules and structure.
What is the creative inspiration of your work?
I'm inspired by the concept of dichotomy. The fact that two opposite situations can exist simultaneously just blows my mind. So in my work, I use the coexistence of peace and chaos
to create emotion.
What makes you so joyful and creative?
Travel, I never stopped travelling the world, over 50 countries, across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Experiencing different cultures, new places and people, stunning architecture, beautiful clothing, jewellery, and amazing food all bring me joy and intensifies my creativity. When I was young, I travelled for 9 years in a row, collecting breathtaking moments from around the globe.
When did you decide to become an artist?
My creativity has evolved. When I was eight years of age I started sewing doll clothes and by 20 I was running my own fashion design business in Bali. Later I expressed my creativity as a landscape gardener and interior designer.I guess I have always been an artist but my latest work as a painter started 10 years ago when I woke up one morning and I gave in to the lifelong urge to pick up a paintbrush and I started to paint. Five hours later, my lounge walls were covered with colourful abstract flowers. I couldn't stop, when I paint, physically putting paint on the canvas feels like I am in heaven, I feel alive, I feel the magic. Since that day I've dedicated myself to painting contemporary art on large-scale canvases which reflect the beauty and the magic but also the struggle of our relationships with ourselves and our planet.
My creative process varies. I love to play with colours, shapes and especially flowers. I usually pick up the paintbrush, feel the colour within me and then I begin without sketches, rules, or limits. It's pure intuition. Other times, I reflect on the subject especially when I work with my curator on certain subjects or series of paintings like the 'World's Great Cities'. Then I let my intuition take over.
How do you begin a new piece?
Which artists influence your work the most?
God. Not the famous one but my own. You can call it love if it is less confusing.
Is there anything in your life that enabled you to develop your work as an artist?
All my experiences have helped develop me as an artist. I was born in Cape Town South Africa during the time of apartheid. My parents separated when I was two years old. I grew up without knowing who my mother was and struggled to find my place in the world because we regularly moved between countries and continents.
I left home at 16 which forced me to rely on my creativity to survive. In my 30s, I devoted myself to raising two wonderful children.
Twenty years ago, I married my amazing husband. He's my biggest fan and emboldens me to obsess about my work. In the morning I just open my eyes and let the painting flow.
Tell us more about your latest series?
I am currently working on the 'World's Great Cities'. I paint the cities I've explored and my experiences there. The pandemic temporarily stopped my travels so I took pleasure in revisiting those cities in my mind and on canvas.
I've travelled to so many different cities around the world that it will take some time to complete this series! I can reveal that my next project will be about the transformation of our world.
What’s your next project ?
