Nina Cook

Nina Cook was born in Whakatane in 1967. She was educated in Wanganui and then at Christchurch Polytechnic School of Art and Design where she received a Bachelor of Design.

Nina writes about her exhibition ‘Frame of Mind’

I explore issues of societal bias through a personal lens.

The effect of proselytized overly fixed viewpoints on political, religious, racial, gender and environmental issues is alarming. When this alarm is combined with the information bias that occurs in this curated information age, our dual desires to belong and control are kicked into overdrive.I am not immune to this, but am also shocked at the lack of empathy or comprehension of ‘other’ that some people exhibit. This body of work is my way of trying to understand.

Though many (including myself) try to be independent, compassionate, open-minded and critical in our thinking, we cannot avoid being influenced. Not only by our own experience and state of mind, but also by broader cultural, societal, and scientific relevancies. And this is always changing.

Art a fantastic way of exploring issues because it combines both intellectual and intuitive practices.

The frame is overt, pedantic. As in a museum display, it provides a curated context, which is only ever part of the story.

The content captures personal situations and impressions – things I have felt, seen and imagined.
Whilst painting, I have been deliberately mindful of my thought process. I asked myself;
What is the true impetus for this work?
What narrative is cycling/growing in my mind?
How is this effecting my choices?
At what point/s does my ‘frame of mind’ become ‘confirmation bias’?
To what degree is bias necessary?
When does it become a liability?

I didn’t discover any big answers, just personal ones – but every bit helps.
Some clues are reflected in the work titles, much more in the works themselves as physical manifestations of my frame of mind.

Most importantly, I am inviting the viewer to reflect upon their own frame of mind or state of bias whilst investigating mine.