State of the ARTS: Nevena Bentz
Becoming One
“I was asking myself, ‘Who cares about abstraction when the world is on fire? Is this really the best use of my time?’ So, I quit art to go plant trees,” Nevena Bentz laughs, tossing her hands in the air as she recalls her art career’s meandering path.
After growing up in Bulgaria, she studied and practiced law in France and the United States and also lectured at the American University campus in Bulgaria. After receiving her Juris Doctor from The University of Texas in 2003, she found herself with a young family and a demanding career in state government: one that left her feeling overstretched, unfulfilled, and artistically adrift.
Returning to art, she launched a line of fine jewelry in 2012 and also published a book of poetry in 2017. While her work has spanned multiple professions and continents, she has pushed herself to continuously explore artistic techniques, multiple mediums, and her own identity which have shaped her ideals throughout her life.
Discontent with creating art for art’s sake, she found purpose – and her voice – by creating work that seeks to elevate the interconnected nature of humanity, femininity, and the natural world we all share. Her pieces are rich with allegory and are visually dazzling.
“We all have to find something to put ourselves towards to fix these messes,” she notes, broadly referencing the societal challenges present in the world today.
Her current series, “One,” juxtaposes faces of women against semi-abstract patterns invoking natural forms like leaves, water, and reflections. The women’s expressions are subdued and calm, with their desaturated features blending in and out from collages of organic forms and colors. The mixed media compositions are decidedly tranquil, invoking the serenity of creation as a foil to destruction.
“We are one with everything that surrounds us – with all of nature. But we have been drifting away from everything natural. We have been treating nature as a one-way relationship where we just draw from her resources; we rarely ask ourselves how to give back or to do no harm.”
She credits the artistic direction she found while producing “One” with saving her from the personal turmoil of her past. Shedding the identity of her former self – and the fraught relationships with time, money, and purpose that came with it – allowed her to step more fully into a transcendent awareness of her place in the world.
This evolution of self has brought Nevena a sense of peace that is palpable in her art, a feeling she hopes resonates with others in a way that spurs people to take action to protect our shared environment.
“You don’t have to just plant trees to make an impact,” says Nevena. “You can do whatever is right for you; you just need to use your platform.”
Native Knowledge: Since her solo exhibition debut in 2012, Nevena has exhibited in a number of pop-up and gallery shows. Her most recent series “Serendipity” debuted at Artworks Gallery in Austin.
Contact:
nevenabentz.com
@nevenabentzart
