Meet Nadine Kolodziey | XR ( extended reality artist )

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nadine Kolodziey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nadine, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
The best decision I made in my first year of being a self employed artist: I heard of the Adobe creative residency program two days before the deadline and I just went all in to apply with a simple idea: transitioning from illustration and installation, I wanted to learn augmented reality from scratch- unbelievable but true: they offered me the position and a lot of knowledge, network and experience came during or through this residency. I wasn’t aware of the impact, this decision would have on me, so I applied very carelessly. I think my naive take to an opportunity like that made me feel relaxed and less stressed during the interviews – which ironically became an advantage for presenting my work and potential without hesitation.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I identify as XR ( extended reality ) artist since I work mainly with augmented reality and immersive installation. As the terms indicate, it is a very new medium and changing a lot. So my challenge, passion and also advice would be to learn to unlearn. I really enjoy to switch between the analog and digital and also to include different facets for a multi sensory piece ( like sound, haptical feedback etc.). It excites me to work location specific and to see the visitors immerse in my narration. The topic of an alternative, digital nature and environment is a key theme in my work and of course, I aim to explore the new possibilities of augmented reality as a medium everyday since it is always resetting itself.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I am based in Berlin (and Frankfurt) in Germany, I would take you to Winterfeldtschokoladen berlin, the very best chocolate store and cafe, set in an historic pharmacy. Their Dark Chocolate cafe is thick as pudding. The Gleisdreieckpark which is right around the corner of my studio is a great place to hang out. There, hidden in some urban gardening is the cafe Eule where you can have a nice cake and on the weekends the Thai community is cooking street food there as well. for exhibitions hamburger Bahnhof and kw are always a good tipp and the gallery scene at Potsdamer Straße ( where I live in berlin ) is thriving since some years. For inspiration I would go to krelleplatz flea market and naturkundemuseum. in frankfurt you can start at the river side and have a small walk to restaurant Emma Metzler, which is always a gentle surprise of new taste combinations. the bethmannpark and Chinese garden there is a nice venue for otakus like me. for art hungry visitors I can recommend schirn and mmk but also the old Städel for the old masters paintings. a hidden gem is riding a boat at the botanical garden and visiting the butterfly house there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
(Oh I kind of did that by choosing my question in the first part:)
I think the Adobe Creative Residency Programme ( I have been a resident in 2018/2019) challenged me to become a professional artist within a year. I was part of a global team, beta tester for many new Adobe apps and talking on different conferences almost once a month. This has been a true career boost and also it formed so many friendships and strong personal bonds which I treasure a lot. Julia Tian, Franziska Parschau and Rufus Deuchler became our Adobe Creative Resident Managers and Mentors, I owe them where I stand today. But also the team from my Japanese residencies at Paradise AIR, and Patina and last but not least my professor Eike König formed me and my path as a young artist immensely.

Website: https://nadinekolodziey.com/studio-visit

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadinekolodziey/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadine-kolodziey-202856b3/

Twitter: https://x.com/NadineKolodziey

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100039524719574

Yelp: x

Youtube: x

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Image Credits
portrait 1 ole witt
portrait 2 dana plesant