artist profile: nikita burt

Describe your work in five words or less.
Creative deconstruction and reconstruction

How did you get started in this business?
Initially through studying fine art, and then creative arts therapy

Did you want to pursue art when you were growing up? Who were your early influences?
Yes, always. I think my family were in many ways, my father is a vocalist and what I remember the most is how emotive his voice was. Also early on, were artists Fiona Foley and Fiona Hall.

Does ‘money’ matter? ie. Making a living off art versus the fear of “selling out”?
I think money is a big factor, but not the only one. Artists need money to survive just like everyone else; it’s a tough career choice. I admire artists who extend and challenge their boundaries and take creative work that may not be their ideal, but I think artists have to aim for work that either produces or informs art.

How do you feel about art in general in the modern world?
I think art keeps us going. I think art expands our capacity to look at every inch of ourselves on personal and global levels. Art has always been our way of testing our next step before we take a leap as a society, and I believe that the bigger and heavier we become in the modern world, the more necessary it is to look through creative lenses.

What are your other interests/passions?
Hmm…op shopping, yoga, picnics and improvisation

Who do you most admire?
I think my uncle Shaun, also known as Bob. He has lived in the bush in Broome for several decades with the Goolarabooloo community. His understanding of the environment around him and it’s interconnectedness to all things is astounding. I’m in awe.

Greatest achievement to date?
Surviving six years of study?

What inspires you?
Nature, walking, rubbish and other found objects on footpaths, wildflowers, and those little tufts of grass that grows in between the cracks in concrete. Other artists, children, old people and instrumental tunes.

I couldn’t live without…
Blankets, fabric and veggies

The best advice I ever received was…
Listen with your whole body.

Nikita Burt’s exhibition, ‘In Her Reverie’, is currently being displayed at the Box Hill Community Arts Centre in Melbourne. Click here to find out more!