Nicholas Auen Art Opening-Introspective Energy
Hohmann Gallery, Palm Springs (The Hollywood Times) – 05-17-2025
I had the opportunity to attend the event and here is my interview with Nicholas Auen.
Jimmy Steinfeldt (JS): Tell me about your exhibit.
Nicholas Auen (NA): It’s a combination of what I like to do. Beautiful objects around romantic settings which resonate with what we do as a society. As an example, a slight tilt of the head or hidden gesture can indicate a deeper meaning. I try to stay malleable instead of being rigid. My work is more cerebral than physical in nature. There’s a great deal we can do in this life to help each other out.
JS: There is a volcanic eruption occurring now on the big island of Hawaii. This amazing three-panel piece reminds me of a volcano.
NA: I’ve been to many volcanos including Kona and Costa Rica. There is a visceral nature and power to volcanoes, oceans and other natural wonders. You can see the colors of these forces in my work.
JS: Tell me about the women seated here.
NA: This piece is called 51 Compartments. There are 51 purses in this piece. 51 is an angelic or transitional number. A transition number is one where you can take yourself from here and move to a new direction. Is this piece something simple or is there something deeper going on? Where is she going, what is her next move? She has all these different options. Her dilemma might be as simple as which of these 51 purses she will choose or she could be considering something much deeper.
JS: Her eyes seem to suggest to me that she has more going through her mind than trying on these shoes or choosing among the purses.
NA: Yes, her downward glance and expression suggests she’s deeper in thought. It’s great to be in a beautiful place and to have achieved a level of success but we all need to keep in mind that there is more to life than this. How can we change ourselves to reach life’s more important goals.
JS: Tell me about how you came to create this type of work.
NA: When I was eighteen, I worked for a metal fabricator and glass blower. These transitions allowed me to branch out into areas beyond the job of just making something bright and shiny. It’s been a long process of developing my work over the years. These negative-two-dimensional cutouts have many influences. When I’m surfing or doing some other athletic pursuit I’m always trying to think of things in a different perspective.
JS: How did you come to know the Hohmann Gallery?
NA: I’ve been good friends gallerist David Austin and then I became friends with Christian Hohmann. Christian has been very supportive and now he’s given me this solo exhibit for which I am so thankful to him.
Nicholas Auen exhibit runs through June 28. For more information. https://news.hohmann.art/nicholas-auen-ps-2025
