Nadia Ettwein
Lives and works in South Africa
www
HOND
In photography, I navigate between the construction and witnessing of images. I have studied and worked in the field of Information Science that extended into photography, by means of creating and preserving my own stories.
My body of work is called ‘HOND’. The word ‘hond’, means dog in English. HOND was created against the backdrop of an Afrikaans metaphor that was said to me as a child to describe my abandonment of my mother. The metaphor translates to “being thrown away like a dog”.
My life has been characterized by abandonment and neglect, leading to my own challenges. This abuse with a history of a post-apartheid society and domestic instabilities have influenced my journey of womanhood, deviating from the norms and beliefs I was cultured into. I am the consequence of the environment didn’t choose. My work is an introspective reflection of social issues, rooted in my identity as an Afrikaans woman.
The subtle violence, sensitivity, absurdity, the animals, all the symbolism, aimed towards a self-reflection of an inner landscape.
I’m inspired by the present and my hypersensitivity to the world around me. Always comparing my
exclusion of family and belonging, I try to navigate the meaning of home against a blueprint of my past and layer narratives with archival material, fabrics, and processes. I mostly choose monochromatic as it aesthetically feels like a record between my reality and abstraction.
In essence, my goal is to create impactful visual stories that go beyond aesthetics. I want my work to resonate emotionally, provoke empathy, challenge assumptions, and foster an understanding. I aspire to contribute to collective liberation and establish myself as a recognized artist.
