NICOLA SIEBERT-PATEL
Location:
London, UK
ARTIST BIO
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, where I completed my schooling and went on to study at The Foundation School of Art. After taking some time to travel, I settled in London where I have lived for the last 30 years. In that time, I got married, had two children, worked as a yoga teacher and continued to pursue my passion for art by undertaking various courses. My most recent qualification was a Masters in Fine Art from Wimbledon College of Art (completed in 2020). My practice has varied over the years, prior to undertaking my MFA I was mostly painting, however for the two years of my MFA I was more sculpture and print based, although since then I have reignited my passion for painting.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Inspired by the human need to create something to believe in. I am drawn to ritual, repetition, and objects we have come to accept as tools to cope with life. I seek truth and have an obsession with skulls, being evidence of a physical presence. Having previously trained and taught as a yoga teacher, themes of Eastern and Yogic philosophy / spirituality are often repeated. My current practice is mostly painting, but I also enjoy printing and sculpture where my themes are mostly conceptual. Some of the materials I've used in my work include Lead (prayer beads), neon and cement. In 2019 myself and four fellow artist from Wimbledon MFA founded ‘Dogma19 Artists Group’ where we explore working with unorthodox materials. We hold regular exhibitions online. My current painting practice is inspired by old found images which tell a story, from abandoned buildings to political scenes. I create a setting by thinning out oil paint and painting and dripping layers to allow the paint to leave its own pattern. I then add narrative by adding either a figure/figures or an unknown object to create discourse, sometimes adding my own imagined pattern over the layers of paint or allowing for looser brush markings to create a more stylised figure and less identifiable. I enjoy letting go of the work and allowing for interpretation of the viewer.
www.nicolasiebert-patel.com
IG: @nicolasiebertpatel_artist
