Enduring Indecision 14, 5, and 7

Natalie Christensen

Archival pigment print on premium luster paper, matte satin laminate, aluminum dibond, mounted to museum box for hanging
16 x 24"
2022

Navigating the uncertainties of midlife, I’ve begun to consider the time I have left to  live, and how I want to live it. I could remain in the comfort of the familiar routines  I’ve built, or I could venture into a less comfortable unknown that offers possibility  and expansion. The uncertain space between these two choices is a demanding  place to be, an uneasy transition that’s universal to the human experience but feels  solitary when it’s happening to oneself. Deliberating the pros and cons of either  path, I realize that I’m caught in a binary way of thinking, controlled by the dilemma.  Yet the ethos of our culture nudges me to decide and act.  

Looking at my surroundings, I’m drawn to capture scenes that embody these  internal states: Encounters between seemingly opposing forces, objects that run  parallel but never meet, moments of despair inextricably combined with fleeting  illumination. In times of internal balance, I can float, breathe, and endure the  tension of opposites. While clarity is something I long for, I’ve come to recognize  that the tension of not knowing is not a problem to be solved, but rather, an  unexpected source of inspiration and expression. Each day is a new lesson in my  tolerance for ambiguity: to not know how things will turn out, and to accept being  suspended in the state of becoming.

Photograph taken by Christine Alexander

Natalie Christensen

Award-winning photographer Natalie Christensen’s focus is ordinary settings, seeking the sublime. She deconstructs to color fields, geometry and shadow.

Christensen has exhibited in U.S. and international museums and galleries; was a UAE Embassy culture tour delegate; recently was invited as Artist-in-Residence Chateau d'Orquevaux, France; and books include Minimalism in Photography, cover and featured artist, teNeues, Düsseldorf, Germany and 007 – Natalie Christensen, Setanta Books, London. She has work in permanent collections and her photography has been featured in many noted fine art publications.

Website: NATALIECHRISTENSENPHOTO.COM

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A Constructed Environment

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Invented Discussions with Myself #1