We are excited to announce that Nathalie Brans will be starting a 3-month residency at Villa Waldberta, in Munich, in October 2023!
Thanks to the collaboration between the City of Munich & The Artist and the Others, Dutch artist Nathalie Brans will have the opportunity to develop her research and work, connecting to local initiatives and professionals during her 3-month residency at A-I-R Munich.
This is an opportunity for us to dive into Nathalie Brans’ practice and discover her work:
“If the entire Universe could fit in a shoebox, then how big would the world be? And how big would I be?”
With these questions, Nathalie Brans frames her practice. Inspired by the ‘heavenly bodies’ – the Sun, the Moon & the Earth – she creates tapestries, publications, collages and sometimes performance pieces. Reflecting on scale, the balance of our solar system and how this influences us, she uses analogue and lens-less photography to collect images, and soft materials such as paper or fabric in her work.
“Scale plays an important role in my work. My main sources of inspiration are the heavenly bodies; how we experience them and the connections between them. Like the Son, Moon and Earth: the Moon orbiting Earth and, in turn, the Earth and the Moon orbiting the SUn. They influence one-another, and together they maintain the balance of our solar system.
Reading about Astronomy, I study the heavens with my telescope and take photos of the Sun and the Moon.”
Nathalie Brans works with materials which have a tactile, haptic quality.
“The manual processes involved allow me to directly feel the materials. In this way I can connect with the process, and with the subjects of my work, establishing an intimate relationship with them.”
During the residency Nathalie Brans will research the life and work of the German-British Astronomer Caroline Herschel (1750-1848), drawing a line between her life and work, and the artist’s own photographs of the Sun and the Moon. It will be an extension of the ‘Sun and Moon diary’ she has been working on – a series of pictures of the Sun and the Moon, ‘companions’ which we take for granted.
Discover her work on Instagram. 
Nathalie Brans’ artist residency at Villa Waldberta – A-I-R Munich, is possible thanks to the City of Munich. Together we are proudly opening up this opportunity to NL-based artists, introducing them to Munich’s art scene.
