Artist Spotlight

Interview with Naleni Studios

Where Nature Meets Inner Transformation

 

Some artists shape materials. Others allow materials to shape the story.

Naleni Studios moves between two distinct artistic worlds—vibrant mixed-media paintings and raw, organic sculptures. Through antique book pages, moss, wood, resin, and found objects, she explores identity, healing, memory, and the quiet dialogue between people and nature. In this interview, Naleni reflects on the meaning behind her materials, the emotions that guide her work, and the beauty of embracing transformation.

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Your paintings and sculptures feel very different. Why do you enjoy working in these two worlds?

Working in both realms allows me to express two distinct sides of the same emotional spectrum. My Mixed-media paintings are vibrant, intense, and tell very direct stories.

My organic sculptures, on the other hand, are grounded, raw, and silent. Moving between canvas and three dimensional natural materials gives me complete freedom to choose the exact medium that best captures a specific feeling or stage of transformation.

Unseen, 2026. Mixed media sculpture: modeling compound, wood, and resin

You often use old books, moss, wood and other natural materials. What makes a material worth becoming part of your art?

A material becomes valuable to me when it carries its own history, texture, and energy.

Antique book pages carry forgotten thoughts, weathered wood and moss or real organic elements bring tactile life into a piece.
I love materials that weathered or been transformed by nature and time.

Consciousness, 2026. Mixed media: acrylic and antique book pages on canvas

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Your work encourages people to look beyond the surface. What do you hope they notice if they spend a little more time with it?

I hope viewers discover the subtle contrast between vulnerability and resilience.

Beneath the initial visual layer, whether it’s bold colors or raw textures, there are hidden details like embedded text, tactile ruptures, or symbolic materials.

I want people to pause, look closely, and perhaps recognize a piece of their own inner journey reflected in those details.

Reflection, 2026. Mixed media sculpture: modeling compound, wood, and mirror

Many of your artworks explore strength and vulnerability together. What have they taught you about yourself?

Creating these works has taught me that true strength isn’t about being indestructible, it’s about having the courage to show your scars and embrace transformation.

Art has shown me that leaving behind what no longer serves you, even if it’s painful, is the ultimate act of selfrespect and freedom.

Symbiosis, 2026. Mixed media: acrylic, moss, and gold leaf on canvas

Nature seems to play an active role in your creative process. Do you follow your original plan, or do the materials sometimes lead the way?

I almost always let the materials guide the process.

While I usually start with an emotional core or a general vision, nature has a mind of its own.

A piece of wood or a specific texture often dictates where the line should go or how the composition evolves.

Or simply because I feel that a particular material conveys exactly what I want to communicate.

Eternity, 2026. Mixed media: acrylic, alcohol ink, and resin on modified canvas

If someone could remember just one feeling after seeing your work, what would you want it to be?

Recognition. My art is personal and rooted in a feminist perspective, drawing directly from my own lived experiences and emotions as a woman. Because every painting and sculpture captures a different chapter of life, each piece speaks its own emotional language.
But above all, I want viewers to look at my work and have that instant moment of understanding, thinking to themselves: “Yes, exactly… I know this feeling. I know what she means.” I want my art to create a space where people feel seen, validated, and not alone in their own experiences.

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