Nika Rubinshtein
Nika Rubinshtein (b.1991) is an artist living and working in Israel. She graduated Istituto Europeo di design in Milan and worked as an interior designer and art director for seven years. In 2019 she left design field and started her career as an artist.
Nika is moving between two worlds: familiar material world and thrilling spiritual one by giving a form to ephemeral moments, complicated feelings and to the unknown. Blurred boundaries between the two worlds are also emphasized by the style — there are no clear objects on Nikas paintings, everything flows from one to another. This is the way Nika keeps a fine line between figurative and abstract painting.
She divides her work in two phases: during the first Nika is using acrylics and synthetic dyes with big amount of water, the second phase comes when the painting is dry and Nika works on details.
Could you tell us more about your background and how you began creating art?
My father was talented and always wanted to be an artist, unfortunately his desire didn’t come true because of different circumstances, but I guess I got this passion to draw from him. I don’t remember much of my childhood, but my mom says that I have always been drawing. My imagination always worked great.
What does your art aim to say to its viewers?
My art is not so much about saying something, but about helping the viewer feel and see more inside themselves. I am showing how I am experiencing this world through feelings and things which are difficult to visualize: souls, spirits, ghosts, energies, and I hope it will resonate with other people.
Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What is your daily routine when working?
I can’t stand early wake-ups, so my mornings begin around 9 am. Some days I start from replying emails, filling applications to open calls etc, some days I go straight to sketches and paintings and work till around 8 pm. Part of my process is taken by reading, looking for references, finding out new artists to watch. I am building my daily inspiration from different pieces like a note I made, a scene from a movie, lil sketch from a bus, colour pallet from my fave artist — all this helps me to get to the condition from which I can create — I am putting myself in a quiet place (in mind) and letting all my deep senses to work, so I am getting to another level of communication.
What is the essential element in your art?
The fine line I am keeping between abstract and figurative, material and spiritual, reality and imagination.
In your opinion what role does the artist have in society?
I think we artists are playing an important role. We communicate on different levels using different visual languages, we look through, we look above, we look inside. We reach souls, inspire and create spaces where the viewer can look deep down herself or himself. We are trying to awake something big in peoples hearts and minds, because otherwise everyday life can become too ordinary.
