NFT LOVE LETTERS
Artwork Statement
Petra Kaltenbach, who has been creating video art since 2015, repeatedly creates hybrid artworks that show both a painted and a digital work on the same subject. She links the two works either through a QR code or also through augmented reality. Since 2021 Petra also creates NFTs.
In 2022 she started to create the series NFT_LOVE LETTERS. Her core theme of transformation is in itself represented by the technical side of scanning the physical image into a video, but also the factor of love – as the greatest transformational force was expressed by Kaltenbach through a strong visual language of forms, layers and colors. Her recurring motif of the pomegranate, which stands as a symbol of love, wealth, health and divinity, carries her transformative thoughts par excellence.
The physical artworks are painted/partially printed on mirrored stainless steel and the corresponding videos all contain Arabic terms of endearment. By connecting to the Arabic language, Kaltenbach’s artworks advance to painted/filmed love letters and achieve a very wonderful poetry and romance.
Petra comes from a rather rational country, which certainly has a very rich culture, especially poets and painters, but many Germans are somewhat unfamiliar with the extremely ‘flowery’ language of the Arab world. Petra likes the exuberance very much, although it expresses itself with her visual language rather in a color and pattern rush.
Nevertheless, Petra Kaltenbach has captured the exuberance of the words from her videos with her NFT_LOVELETTER series with very expressive images. Gifting videos as love letters is the new poetry of the zeitgeist.
These NFT_LOVELETTERS are meant to be visual poems.
ALBI
ALBI_MY HEART
2021, Dubai, UAE, 90×50 cm,Acrylic and UV-print on coloured stainless steel, framed.When the arrow of love hits you to the fullest it’s like an awakening.
Petra’s latest series, NFT_LOVE LETTERS (2022) is a series of visual poems. They begin life as physical artworks painted and partially printed on mirrored stainless steel and then they take on their digital life with overlaid corresponding videos. The videos are transliterated Arabic terms of endearment such as NUUR AIYNI_the light of my eyes, ALBI_my heart or AZIZATI_my lovely, engaging with the deep romanticism of the Arabic culture, that she places at odds with the more rational thinking of her native German culture.
MALIKATI
MALIKATI_MY QUEEN
2022, Dubai, UAE, 90×50 cm,Acrylic and UV-print on coloured stainless steel, framed.
Malikati means ‘my queen’ and talks about finding the only one that suits you and the only one you want to be with.
Petra’s work is full of symbolism. This symbols support her by expressing her thoughts about love and/or transformation. The dragonfly, for example, is the queen of the air and she found her beloved Pomegranate. Instead of showing real people she uses these symbols without being too kitchy.
SHAMSI
SHAMSI_MY SUN
2021, Dubai, UAE, 50×50 cm, Acrylic and UV-print on coloured stainless steel, framed
A very dreamy visual poem where one is just lost in love and floats on cloud No 9
ROOHY
ROOHY_MY SOUL
2021, Dubai, UAE, 50×50 cm,Acrylic and UV-print on coloured stainless steel, framed.
Touches the deepest feeling of longing and a deep understanding as only soulmates can have.
Petra created a second artwork of ROOHY showing the transformation within heartbeats .
ROOHY - 2
Petra created a second artwork of ROOHY showing the transformation within heartbeats.
ASAAL
ASAAL_SWEET LIKE HONEY
2021, Dubai, UAE, 50×50 cm,Acrylic and UV-print on coloured stainless steel, framed.
Wants to eat and taste the loved one.
Petra Kaltenbach is an artist whose core theme is one of transformation, metaphorically, spiritually and physically. Her recurring motif is the pomegranate fruit, which stands as a symbol of love, health, wealth and divinity across traditions and cultures.
In her art she uses bright colours and a rush of patterns to create these visual love poems, which are a modern day ode to the timeless language of love.
NUUR AIYNI
NUUR AIYNI_The Light of my eyes
2021, Dubai, UAE, 50×50 cm,Acrylic and UV-print on coloured stainless steel, framed.
NUUR AIYNI is an ode to the one and only love. Its talking about all the passion and inner fire one can have for the loved one.
GHAZALA
GHAZALA_MY GAZELLE
2021, Dubai, UAE,50×50 cm,Acrylic and UV-print on coloured stainless steel, framed.
GHAZALA is talking about the fresh and lighthearted love and celebrates the freeing feeling of reaching everything you want effortlessly