++++++

+++Antoinette Nausikaä+++

+++

bird, plane, butterfly is the sequel to Breathing Mountains (2018), in which Antoinette Nausikaä explored the relationship between humans and nature in remote, sacred mountain regions. In her new book, she shifts her focus from the distant mountains to the dynamic and chaotic urban landscape.

The metropolis is often viewed as a symbol of acceleration, transience, and alienation—a place where we are constantly bombarded by a stream of impressions, information, and images. Yet, after observing that human presence is always evident even in the remotest corners of nature, she became convinced of the reverse: even in the city, the most human and ever-changing environment, it is possible to discover harmony, timelessness, and a natural connection—provided we remain open and take the time to observe the wonder around us.

In bird, plane, butterfly, Nausikaä invites the viewer to slow down, embracing the power of contemplation and observation to experience the natural interconnectedness and wonder within our everyday surroundings. To explore this theme, Nausikaä has, in recent years, collected photos, drawings, and writings during her wanderings through major cities around the world.

Visual artist Antoinette Nausikaä (b. 1973, Vlissingen, NL) lives and works in Amsterdam. She earned her BA in Fine Arts from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and in 2010, she completed a residency at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. Growing up in a family of aerial photographers, Nausikaä was exposed early on to the practice of zooming in and out on the world around her, a perspective that shaped her observational and investigative approach to art. Driven by a personal quest for harmony and stillness in a turbulent, rapidly changing world, her projects explore the interconnectedness of culture and nature within the everyday environment.