The Recess Bell's Black History Month campaign, Celebrating Black Creatives, rolls on with yet another interview conducted by Gina, as she sits down with Nataeo, a skilled artist & proud painter.
Nataeo provided introspection into his work and also discussed how healing from his pain and falling in love with who he is helped him become a more unabashed artist -- and person -- over time. Let's learn more about Nataeo.
Gina: Please provide background information on you as an artist! How would you describe your artistic style and which themes do you explore in your work?
Nataeo: Nataeo, as an artist, would be "forever wondering."
Art to me is various modes of expression. Sounds, visuals, wording -- frankly, everything is art. I have been an artist my whole life, but only in the last 3 years have I finally realized it.
I call my art “My eyeTRA” -- my eye & art spelled backwards. With "My eyeTRA," you will see something different every time you look at it. I want someone's mind to wonder about the vast highs and lows and textures of my artwork. My eyeTRA IS a combination of abstract, realism and what I recently learned from another fellow artist: abstract impressionism. I coined it that because it's artwork through my own eyes!
I paint because I enjoy it, because it's my own world, and because no one can take it from me. I do this because we all have our perception of the world; what we think is unattractive and beautiful. I try to look at things through a different lens to broaden my viewpoint but also to challenge myself.
Gina: You’ve exhibited your work in different spaces, including Lakeview Library where I had the pleasure of attending your exhibition! What was that experience like for you?
Nataeo: I thank you again for coming and going through each piece with me. The opportunity to display there came from a friend of mine named Carl West. I helped him with learning Spanish, and in conversation one day, I told him I create art. He asked to see some and then a week later told me about Lakeview.
I was reluctant to sharing my art since it has always been a sort of therapy for me in my healing, but that conversation changed everything for me. February 2024 was the first time I had ever gotten the courage to showcase my artwork.
I would show poetry for years to people while still keeping my deepest words to myself. Lakeview allowed me to be part of their African-American History Celebration and it was an honor to be recognized and seen as an artist for the first time in my life on that large a scale. That lead to me gaining the courage to do more shows like the Black Boy Art Show in April of 2024. Needless to say, the Lakeview experience is what kick-started my journey.
Gina: Is there any particular piece from your past exhibits that holds deep significance for you?
Nataeo: “Where Are You Standing” is the artwork with various shoes on a rooftop and some suspended in the air. It signifies the everyday struggles one can face. It was created originally on a 12x16 canvas [Never Rone.] It was in honor of an ex of mine and also for my cousin, whom I lost to suicide. I created a more detailed finely-tuned version of it last year and that piece always gets people talking -- especially once I explain it. Each way you turn the piece, it invokes a different energy and vibration.
Gina: What role do you think visual art plays in telling the story of Black History?
Nataeo: I think it's safe to say our stories have been changed, hidden and fabricated too often. Never lost -- but sources are being forcibly forgotten. Not in my book.
I think visual art depicts the pain, the perseverance and the beauty in what being sun-kissed provides. Our roots go deep and can never be killed, for the impression we left on this world echos on walls on practically every continent. I hope people don't ever lose their courage to spread their own love & consciousness.
That is why I create! I don't want to leave this body with hidden thoughts and visions. If anyone is looking, I hope they enjoy!
Gina: What message or legacy do you hope your art leaves behind?
Nataeo: I hope my message left is that art is a feeling expressed in a tangible way -- whether it's music, words, or any form of artistic expression. We must never stop, never give up, and never surrender to our circumstances.
Gina: What does Black History Month and being Black mean to you?
Nataeo: Being Black to me is knowing how deep the roots go. It is an honor to be connected to the powerhouse that is the African diaspora! Black History "Month" to me is a month I acknowledge, yes. But Black History to me IS human history and I educate myself on it 365, 366 on a leap year!
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