"Bellator" Painting

THE ARTIST

Nina was born in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, and spent her formative years in Amsterdam. In 1994, she began her studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. Following her education, she made a deliberate commitment to "paint from life," seeking authenticity in both her subject matter and process.

In 2001, Nina embarked on extensive travels before ultimately settling in New York. Her journey as an artist has been shaped by a deep and lifelong curiosity about the human mind and its place within society. Even as a child, she felt a pull toward other cultures often imagining herself as a foreigner to escape the social constraints of her native environment. That desire for freedom and perspective became the driving force behind her work and her identity as a first-generation immigrant in the United States.

"There was a time when I stood utterly alone, my child clutching my skirt, far from family in a country that was not my own. That decade forced me to confront how much of an outsider I had become. Yet it also granted me clarity and a profound sense of freedom, allowing me to see the world with a deeper understanding of society’s many complexities. The imprint of those years continues to shape the narrative of my art today."

Nina’s art is rooted in storytelling. Working across painting, sculpture, and digital media, she crafts contemporary figurative works that serve as narrative poems, reflections on life, identity, and the world we share. Drawing from personal experience, cultural observation, and global issues, her work addresses profound social and environmental themes that invite reflection and dialogue.