'The Source Never Diminishes'

Nina Elder is a transdisciplinary artist, writer, and educator whose work bridges art, science, and social justice. Born in Colorado Springs but since living and practicing around the world, Elder’s practice is deeply rooted in field research and collaboration with scientists, often focusing on geologic processes, climate disruption, and cultural change. Her drawings incorporate unconventional materials like wildfire ash and pulverized rocks, collected from landscapes marked by extraction and ecological upheaval. Elder’s art invites viewers to confront the complexities of environmental grief and transformation through both scientific inquiry and poetic reflection.

Central to Elder’s practice is the concept of solastalgia, a term coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht to describe the emotional distress caused by environmental change while still being in one’s home. Elder’s Solastalgic Archive is a participatory project that collects objects and stories reflecting this emotional terrain—ranging from rock samples to photographs and personal artifacts. Through this archive, Elder explores the tension between memory and loss, permanence and transience, and the spiritual resonance of ecological shifts. Her work challenges traditional museum practices by emphasizing the lived, emotional, and communal dimensions of environmental change, offering a space for reflection and healing in the face of climate anxiety.

Elder’s newest body of work, Black Holes & Voids, expands this inquiry into speculative and surreal territory. This series includes drawings, sculptures, videos, and books that embrace ecological grief with humor, empathy, and mystery. Elder uses sequined trash, breath-based monoprints, and looping video spells to conjure a “dark disco ball” of collapse and transformation. These works imagine human connection to cycles of emergence and extinction, offering a playful yet profound meditation on endings and beginnings. The Source Never Diminishes showcases the breadth of Elder’s practice, including selections from theses latest series and never-before-seen work, inviting audiences to engage with her vision of art as a source of resilience, joy, curiosity, and wonder with a call for action in turbulent times.

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