Togetherness

Beauty and grace motivate Neli's art. With this mural Neli wanted to remind drivers that beauty is all around us. The Superstack, the Big Nickel, the Water Tower (next to the mural) are all symbols of Ontario’s north that should treasure for they form our lives up here. They also make our reality unique by reminding us of the human achievement contrasting and highlighting nature. Nature represented by the female form, the girl, the wife, the mother carries the tenderness, care and support that nurtures love and life. It is the woman with her smile, gentle touch and heart that warms even the coldest of nights. The man lurking in the darkness of the underground cherishes the luminous thoughts of the loved one above, the miner for whom all pains and labors are the greatest rewards if they only make those closest, those living and working in the world up there happy. Connecting the masculine and feminine of the two worlds, connecting nature and industry, connecting light and darkness closes the circle of life reinforcing beauty, hope and love. This mural celebrates the togetherness in all aspects of life; the togetherness that surmounts all perils, all hurdles, and all obstacles of our northern, harsh but beautiful winters; the togetherness that make living Up Here worthwhile.

Before she became a Cambrian College graphic design student, Bulgarian-born Neli Nenkova spent 15 years as a visual artist in Europe and in North America. Her work is held in private and public collections in France, Bulgaria, Italy, Germany, Greece, the U.S., Japan, Turkey, The Vatican and Canada. She says her work is influenced by the Italian master of the High Renaissance and the ideas of the Surrealist movement -- quite the combination.