REGINA NIEKE

WHY PAINTING THE MOON?

The MOON series comprises 47 paintings.

While my work is deeply personal, the MOONs also reveal something universal, the moon being a celestial body known around the world that everyone can relate to. Moreover, the paintings remind us of our place in the universe subject to forces beyond control.

I have tried to create depth on the canvas by using dark blue shades of color as opposed to the silver grey shades of the actual moon in the night sky. To create an illusional space and to enter an inner world by looking at the paintings.

Oil color is a translucent medium I used partially opaque as well as in thin layers to create even more depth. To me, this fabrication of void represents the pause between inhaling and exhaling, just like meditation captured in a painting.
The MOON paintings aren't about something far away, but rather an introspection.

This nothingness is something I have always been interested in. That's why the faces I paint are often just shapes missing detailed features like eyes, nose or mouth.
Another reason being the way we look at each other. We mainly recognize one another by the shape of our faces.

​

Regina Nieke, 2023 / Translated by Theresa Milow