We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Edie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Edie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have wanted to be an artist since early childhood. The concept of a “career” was obviously foreign to me at that time but making art was then and continues to be the most exciting, engaging activity of my entire life-independent from making my living that way. That said, it has been my lifelong dream to be able to do devote all of my time to this and not need to work at anything else to support myself and I am beyond grateful to have arrived at that point after many years of doing other, sometimes but not always gratifying, work to that end.

I think my first inkling that I could really do this without compromising my creative freedom with concerns about profit and marketability was when I showed at the Miami art fairs for the first time. I was asked to participate by the director of a gallery whom I knew casually but who didn’t represent me-yet (spoiler alert!). I figured why not? Actually- no. That’s not right. I was thrilled! This was in 2013 and Miami was a huge deal. Next thing I know, my work has sold out plus I had multiple commissions. I was actually a little bit terrified-ha! A surprise to me and the dealer, but it continued from there and 12 years later, though they have since closed their brick and mortar space, that gallery has mounted multiple solo and group shows of my work, taken it to many subsequent art fairs and continues to sell my work through online platforms and as do a handful of other venues. I show IRL in New York and Cape Cod regularly as well. I also sell my work directly out of my studio, taking care to funnel sales back to dealers when/if there is a clear lineage to their promotional efforts or exhibitions.

Edie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a visual artist. I make realist paintings of the physical world, broadly speaking, with strong conceptual underpinnings and sometimes include structural elements that push the work into the domain of sculpture. I also make actual sculptures: playful glass and mixed media works that reference social media and direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical marketing, two fields that I have earned a few (dirty :-D) dollars in over the years.

My recent paintings are of ultra-close-up, greatly enlarged and tightly cropped fragments of the body, more specifically: eyes, mouths and skin. The work explores feminism, consumerism, and the impact of digital culture on human experience while reframing the gaze and challenging traditional roles of subject and observer.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I think NFTs are largely an investment scam, financial products whose value is pulled out of thin air and sustained, albeit briefly, by FOMO. The concept of broadly distributed low-ish cost artworks as a means for artists to generate income and take control of their financial fortunes away from gate-keepers that allegedly motivated the phenomenon has been completely undermined by opportunist “creators” (not naming names but one self-promotion obsessed grifter comes to mind) and finance bros reducing art appreciation to a market sport that is, predictably, only beneficial to the privileged few at the top of the economic food chain.

Plus it seemed absurd to me from the get-go given that digital images, animations or whatever, are easily reproducible so the concept of authenticity is absurd. The random assignation of value is familiar and boring. And, and, and the environmental cost of sustaining the block chain required to maintain said authentication of these “assets” is indefensible.
Yeah, I’m not a fan hahaha

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I spoke to this question in my first answer but I cannot emphasize it enough: making art is exciting, engaging and very gratifying. I feel extremely lucky to have this drive, obsession, passion – whatever you want to call it – to keep me enthusiastic and greedy for life even in the bleakest of times. It’s a focal point and a source of motivation that exists independently of any recognition or financial reward that I may reap from it. Of course I cannot get enough of that other stuff either!

As cliche as it may sound, making my work is what keeps me tethered to this world. Every day before I leave my studio I take a picture of the piece I am working on with my phone and look at it repeatedly (obsessively?? ha!) throughout the evening. Sometimes I forget to look and when I remember later, it’s like I have a cupcake or a special present that I forget to open waiting for me in there!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.edienadelhaft.com
• Instagram: @edienadelhaft
• Other: Artsy:
  https://www.artsy.net/search?term=Edie%20Nadelhaft

  Bluesky Social:
  edie nadelhaft.bsky.social

Image Credits

All photos © Edie Nadelhaft