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Bio

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Natali Bravo-Barbee is an Argentine-born, NY-based artist whose work bridges photography, sculpture, and installation to explore memory, identity, and the politics of representation. Using analog, digital, and alternative processes, she transforms personal relics and everyday objects into poetic records of lived experience. Her cyanotypes and photographic works reflect on migration, motherhood, and the collective experiences of women, inviting intimacy and reflection on overlooked histories.

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Bravo-Barbee’s work is a fusion of the personal and political, exploring postcolonial and feminist issues while uncovering the lived experiences of her family fleeing the harsh economic situation in Argentina during the Dirty War. She holds an MFA from City College, CUNY, and a BA in Studio Art from Hunter College, CUNY. Based in New York, she is an active member of the Southeast Queens Artist Alliance (SEQAA) and ArteLatAm: The Collective. Her work has been exhibited at institutions including York College Fine Art Gallery, The Mattatuck Museum, King Manor Museum, Flushing Town Hall, Queens Botanical Garden, Light Art Space (NM), Galerie Lucida (NJ), and others.

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BEHIND THE Work

 

My installation artwork exists at the intersection of photography and sculpture, where blended forms echo the nostalgic and playful undercurrents of my practice. Texture is central to my work—both as a memory trigger and as a marker of self-identity shaped by geography, politics, and personal history.

Through cyanotypes made with personal relics, I create two-dimensional imprints of three-dimensional objects, embedding their legacy within each image. These works serve as quiet memorials, preserving the tactile past within the visual present.

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My work continually explores how memory transforms identity. Photography—across digital, analog, and alternative processes—serves as both a preservation tool and a medium for narrative construction. As an American citizen who immigrated to this country, I use the camera and photographic techniques to examine lost time, visually resurrecting forgotten objects and stories from my family’s past.

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Social engagement is integral to my practice. Many of my projects are participatory, collaborative, and rooted in community. I have worked alongside individuals and families to create works that honor collective memory, explore generational trauma, and address social issues such as femicide, environmental injustice, and postpartum identity. These collaborative efforts emphasize the importance of representation and storytelling as acts of resistance and healing.

By moving beyond the traditional photographic frame and into sculptural space, my work invites deeper viewer interaction. Each piece seeks to bridge lived histories with the immediacy of the present, revealing the profound within the everyday.

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