Embracing uncertainty: The work of german artist Linda Nasdalack
Text by Oman Morí (@omanmori)
Artists have been using photography as a medium for 150 years, and they have constantly pushed boundaries. Pictorialists, in particular, aimed to go beyond reality and create dreamlike images, rather than just documenting the world around them. This approach transformed photography into an art form and emphasized creative expression over strict representation.
The desire for control is deeply ingrained in our society, where meticulous planning and structured systems are seen as the norm. However, the analog photographic process introduces an element of uncertainty and unpredictability. The experimentation within the darkroom can result in outcomes that may diverge significantly from the initial vision. Paradoxically, embracing errors and lack of control can be a liberating experience, especially during moments of anxiety or obsessive contemplation.
German visual artist Linda Nasdalack employs the camera and analog experimentation as a symbolic process for exploring different mental states such as fear of the unknown and anxiety about the future. She wants to represent figuratively intangible emotions and memories. She begins with the question: "How can non-visual phenomena—like memories, emotions, norms, or traumas—be translated into a photographic language?"
Nasdalack's artistic process looks for dialogue with the subconscious, letting go of strict intention, meticulous planning, and control in favor of embracing chance, errors, and abstractions. Her images come from the unexpected outcomes in the darkroom, which often change the visual narrative into uncharted territories. By welcoming these deviations, coincidences, or even errors, Nasdalack invites the viewer to contemplate the possibility of not having control and being at peace with the unknown.
The resulting body of work are evocative inverted abstractions, textured compositions, and enigmatic faces. These creations blur the lines between traditional photography and painting, evoking reminiscences of cameraless experiments, chemical painting, and solarizations.
For more information about Linda Nasdalack's experimental photography, you can visit her website or social media.
