I only want love that feels like rest, 2024
An art installation at KODA House by Nicoletta Daríta de la Brown invites viewers into a domestic bedroom (a space for the artist to rest) where healing and softness intertwine. Drawing from her experiences of childhood abuse, Nicoletta uses her art practice as a powerful means of recovery—illuminating her personal journey toward mental health.
This soft exhibition includes a series of interconnected pieces that blend various mediums—self portrait photography, film/video, sculpture, mixed-media, and performance—to evoke the complexities of trauma and resilience.
“I only want love that feels like rest.” is not only a celebration of Nicoletta’s personal growth but also a space for collective healing. It invites all who enter to reflect on their own stories, fostering a sense of connection and understanding in the pursuit of mental wellness. Through her art, Nicoletta shines a light on the path from feeling invisible to empowerment, reminding us of the strength found in vulnerability and the transformative power of art as ritual.
Nicoletta will activate the space through performance evocative of both play and ceremony. Each piece and movement reflects her personal journey, illustrating the complex interplay of pain and recovery. Through symbolism, she invites viewers to witness the cathartic process of reclaiming one’s narrative.
KODA House, Building #407B, Colonels Row, Governors Island, New York
On View: October 6-27, 2024
Artist Activation: Sunday, October 6, 2024 from Noon-4pm
“Just things” (VIDEO), 2024, digital video book containing short film created in the style of A Kuleshov Effect Experiment
The video artwork contains a graphic image of my face as seen by those documenting the physical abuse; the evidence of what I endured (and thankfully survived) from the evening before. Due to the graphic, sensitive, and potentially triggering nature of the imagery to not only myself, my children, friends / family — I will not post the video in a permanent way publicly online. Yet instead, I will imagine future ways to share this artwork in physical environments that will serve both as a container for me and for those who choose to hold space to view it and sit with her (the younger me that’s inside the book). She was too often invisible, silenced, and felt alone. I will continue to use my practice, my voice, my energy to make spaces (this world) feel softer and kinder for others and also for myself.
In the 1910’s and 1920’s A Soviet filmmaker (Lev Kuleshov) was one of the first to dissect the effects of film editing and implied meaning. Kuleshov discovered through his research that depending on how shots are assembled the audience will attach a specific emotion to it. — As an artist I paired video of my battered face with imagery of a dollhouse, broken watch, and a man’s pair of shoes. The inside cover has an evidence label with details gathered from the scene on the day that I was saved. There is an “open with caution” label on the outside of the book and a “fragile: handle HER with care” label on the inside.
-
"every outfit is too small to hide my scars, so I stopped trying" (no.1), 2024
-
"my first job was a lifeguard. I was trained to save others at fifteen. I learned how to care for myself in my forties" (no.1), 2024
-
"skipped my prom, went in-patient psychiatric instead" (no.1), 2024
-
"my personal flotation devices, as a little black-latin girl" (no.1), 2024
-
"every outfit is too small to hide my scars, so I stopped trying" (no.2), 2024
-
"my first job was a lifeguard. I was trained to save others at fifteen. I learned how to care for myself in my forties" (no.2), 2024
-
"skipped my prom, went in-patient psychiatric instead" (no.2), 2024
-
"my personal flotation devices, as a little black-latin girl" (no.2), 2024
