Nataša Ondrejková

[she/her]

BA Sociology, minors in French & Visual Studies, 3rd year

Basing my work around my Slovak heritage, family lineage, grief, and the diaspora of being an immigrant, my work explores the most personal aspects of who I am, with the intent to touch the souls of those who relate to my work. Focusing on raw, gritty, emotional, and honest displays of my conceptual practice has led to the exploration of many mediums, allowing for a development of experimentation with process. My work takes form through oil and acrylic paint, graphite, photography and sculpture/installation. The process of art creation holds much weight and importance as the artwork comes to life through it. Seeing my art take form and develop as I grow as an artist has been as rewarding as seeing my artworks touch those who interact with my art.

Folklór, 2025, Intaglio print, 20.5" x 28.5"

With Folklór, I aimed to celebrate the culture that I am from. Being an immigrant and being isolated from my culture and traditions, the theme of pressure and reversal guided this work. Resisting the pressures to conform, and honouring my roots, I used softground to print traditional Slovak embroidered ribbons, authentically made in Slovakia. I played on printing the front and the back of the embroidery, to show the depth and importance of this topic to me. This artwork is an introspective look at the love for my culture, as much as it is an introspective look at the pain of being removed from the culture in my every day. The middle print is a photograph from the archive that I have access to. My great uncle is a prominent photographer in my region of Slovakia, who took many photographs from the 1950s to the 1980s. I chose the photo based on the imagery of young women, wearing kroje, the traditional folk wear. I chose a two tone composition- two deeper reds in order to honour the traditional use of red in folklore. Imitating a film strip, I wanted to communicate a sense of nostalgia and yearning for my roots.