Nana négresse

Niki is mainly known for her 'shot reliefs' (1956), white plaster reliefs in which paint was contained which began to run when it was shot at, thus forming a colourful chance pattern. Also famous are her 'Nanas' (1965), jolly, gailypainted voluptuous female figures in all sorts of materials and dimensions, even, indeed, put on the market as inflatable multiples. The Nanas are the mothers, the wives, the daughters, the soft, sweet, warm, erotic, cherishing, jumping, dancing, happy women, who, however are also overwhelmingly large, compellingly demonic, possessed, avid for power, the Nanas in control, approachable houses that can be entered and dream Nanas that you can go into, but do not immediately know how to get out of again. However, they are never really agressive and you can always escape from the play sculptures too down a slide. The unusual enlargement and thickening of forms and the combining of them in new ways is an aspect that constantly recurs in Niki's work in different ways. By making use of an apparently childlike fantasy world, which employs easily recognizable forms in a large, rounded way, favours bright colours and allows itself small obvious liberties, by deliberately limiting herself to recognizable situations and prototypes, Niki succeeds wonderfully well and with a light touch in making her intentions plain: the releasing and overcoming of fears, feelings of attachment and love of the period of the child and the grown-up by means of a totally free use of forms and media.