Nella Fim

I hold a BA in Fine Art from the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town (2014), where I majored in printmaking with minors in painting and photography. My background in visual narrative, materiality, and symbolism continues to inform my work today.

My work seeks to bridge the inner and outer worlds – a visual language born
from myth, nature, and the architecture of the psyche. At its core, my
practice is an attempt to externalize the inner vision: to give form to fantasy,
memory, and the emotional landscapes that shape us.
I am drawn to painting – especially oil and acrylic – for its ability to hold
emotion, atmosphere, and mythic resonance. Alongside this, I explore
drawing, ink, printmaking, and sculptural forms to deepen the dimensionality
of my work. I am fascinated by the structures that contain us, both literal and
symbolic; and often turn to architecture as a metaphor for the inner self.
Fantasy is not escape, but survival. It helps us rewrite personal narratives
and shape new internal mythologies. Through visual storytelling, I aim to
reflect the process of individuation, navigating the unknown, meeting
symbolic figures, and returning with a new truth. The symbols that emerge in
my work are drawn from global mythology, dream logic, emotional states,
and the vast complexity of the human condition.
Music, mysticism, and the psychedelic experience all inform my creative
rhythm, but nature remains my original and eternal muse, a reminder of both
our smallness and our belonging within the cosmic orchestra.
I hope my art invites viewers inward: toward their own mythologies, their own
shadows and light. If my work serves as a mirror for someone else’s journey,
or simply reminds them that even the chaos has a pattern, then I have
succeeded in what I set out to do.