Celeste seems to enjoy working with fragments, and if I would have to pick one word to tie together all of her work, it would be "fragmented." Everyone seems to have a unique collage approach, and I feel hers stands out as stylistically distinct. I am excited to see how she continues to implement this in future works, we'll keep an eye out!

Celeste Najt
www.celestenajt.com.ar
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

(My work is like) A ship going through the real life, giving images of another reality.

But it can also be described as:
Retro, futuristic, interior, exterior, surreal, real, empty, full, flying, multi-linguistic, ambitious.

What do you like to work with (magazines, photographs, vintage)? Be specific!

I like to work with photos I've taken on my own which usually are from my trips and of rare details I find in my everyday life. I also like to use old family photos, antique magazines, books, and origami. But my most recent discovery is wood.

How long have you been creating collages and what made you start?

I've been doing collages since I was 16 years old, about 10 years ago. One day I said to myself "you need to put something out there, externalize" and collage became my way to put my feelings and thoughts out. I think an internal necessity to communicate was the reason I started to make art.

Are you solely an artist, or do you work in another profession?

I'm an artist who works in different areas: visual arts, photography, web and graphic design, and I also write. I write for myself, as an exercise to enrich my visual work and I also work as a journalist for a Japanese Magazine and some other publications.

Do you have any formal art training?

I went to 3 universities--two of them were Art careers and nowadays I'm studying for a degree in Photography. I have also attended to several workshops and courses of phototography, design, and art, but I still believe the most important thing one can learn about art comes after a lot of practicing on your own.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I love the cut & paste technique. My favourite materials are paper, vinyl tapes, wood. Currently I'm exploring the possibilities of mixed media. The mixed media project I'm trying to develop at the moment is based on the interrelation of collage, installation, sound, and sculpture.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

My favourite artwork was a room with all the walls covered by a drawing of a map describing the road from a South American City to a European city. This was an exhibition I did, which was an artwork itself. I started preparing the works 6 months before the show, inspired by the new art network phenomena where getting in contact with people who are so far away is made possible. You meet each other through the internet and suddenly you are taking a plane and making a show in an unsuspected place! The map was done in hand made pieces, digital collages, and mostly colour tapes working as the connections between the artworks. (About my solo exhibition How to draw a map from Buenos Aires to Badger Badger, which took place in Carlisle, England in September 2009).

What other artists do you admire?

Jenny Holzer, Cy Twombly, Tracy Emin, Sara Lucas, Arthur Russell, Larry levan, Louise Borgeouis, Trish Morrisey, Stephen Shore, William Egglestone, Claes Oldenburg, Dan Flavin, Tom tom Club, Maximum Joy, Pascale Ogier, and a thousands more...

Thanks Celeste!