Bostan-based artist Nikki Rosato, has made appropriate use of thrown away maps and given them a new life. With her drawings and large-scale pieces, she has shown a similarity between the lines of a map and outline of a human body. Portraiture and figurative work always managed to fetch her attention, which is quite evident from the artifacts. Basically all her work is in 2 D but lately the artist has started experimenting with sculptures.
The inspiration:
The artist has beautifully blended the human figure and lines on a road map through her artistic skills. She feels that human bodies are loaded with detailing and tell a lot of stories, which can be molded into art. Moreover, a map consists of lines that somehow resemble those present on human bodies. In Virginia, Rosato accidentally tripped up a box of vintage maps at a bookstore, which inspired her to craft something interesting out of them. According to the artist, a map is a memory which gets obsolete when new technology comes. She stamps the map permanently on us and gives the art a unique visual representation. The material of her choice is environment friendly and hence, makes her art form all the more tasteful.
The material:
Rosato has crafted human bodies, using nothing but discarded maps. She has skillfully shown the network of veins and arteries, which lie beneath human skin. To get rid of the background from maps, she makes good use of an X-Acto knife which is short as well as very sharp. After removing the landmark details, all that is seen are lines, which represent roads and rivers. A perforated frame of lines is left behind that is exploited further.
The artwork:
Salvaged cut maps have been used to craft artwork which is quite unique. The artist’s interest for portraiture and figurative work reflects in her work. Nikki has intricately poured ideas like loss, abandonment, identity and relationships through her drawings. It’s quite possible, that at times people fail to get the real idea behind her artwork but overall what they get to see is very enthralling. Each piece has been crafted laboriously and can take up to months before it is finally completed.
Green aspects:
Nikki Rosato, with her artistic mindset has intelligently swapped recycled cut maps into eye-catching art work. Using recycled material is a very good way to save our environment and keep it away from terrible elements. Discarded maps have been given an all new form, as the artist has pumped them up with an artful life.