"The world is my country and art my religion"
"The fundamental truth of art is not to portray, but to evoke."
Artist Statement
My art expresses my inner life and struggles to maintain equilibrium in a complicated world.
It is about my profound observations and love of nature and the human spirit. The passion I feel while creating comes from my core and has always been the driving force in my life. I compose each painting with the hope that you, the viewer, may find rest or pause for renewal and reflection in my creations. May the colors and interplay of light and shadow be restoring, energizing, and bring you peace. May the forms, symbolism, and craftsmanship intrigue your curiosity about what truly inspires my creativity.
I aspire to my work to contribute to our collective awakening, acknowledging our shared need for greater awareness, observing more, and feeling more. Countering the atmosphere of superficiality that prevails in a culture that accepts what is easy, celebrates the banal, forgets the past, and is more connected to technology than the self. As a contemporary artist, my decidedly modern style and processes are deeply rooted in Classical artistic training in the tradition of the Old Masters.
While I enjoy covering various subjects, I remain consistent throughout my work with a deep love and respect for beauty and nature. For me, painting is intuitive and highly symbolic, and the direction it takes each time I approach the Canvas is often surprising, even to me. I create layers of spaces and moments of life in my paintings. The tension in the paintings is created by the composition and the surface quality itself. Each brushstroke is consciously and intuitively applied, like recording every gesture and decision, evoking the energy of the handmade object. This unpredictable surface recalls the human touch, conveying personal empathy through the work.
My vision and approach to the subject manifest through abstract interpretation intuitively. My paintings are, on the one hand, recognizable subjects, yet mysterious and fascinating states of mind ⎼ visual poetry. I paint semi-transparent, layered works in which the color surfaces slide over each other as a refreshing sleep or beautiful music. Colors are emotions in my art, and the paintings are scapes of the mind. Nature is close to my heart, and I can feel Nature's refreshing and empowering influence. We don't experience nature only with our vision but with our understanding and hearts. When we look deep into nature, we understand everything better. Nature is powerful ⎼ capturing its Essence is difficult. The work becomes a dance between the light and the shadows. It takes you to a place within yourself.
About Nina
Born in 1970 in Köping, Sweden, Nina was immersed in art from a very young age. Enrolling in her first art competitions at ten years old, she spent her early years learning to paint and draw, copying works of the old masters, and spending her free time exploring art. In 2017, she graduated as a professional painter in Helsinki.
Nina Sabina Caballero is an artist with a unique vision and exceptional technique and can channel her thoughts and insights into solid bodies of theme-specific work. Nina captures the inward journey through bold expression, whether figuratively or abstractly. She intends to uplift and inspire the viewer with ideas that feed the heart and soul while offering reflective perspectives on all themes. Her style involves painting from the inside out, allowing the image to unfold organically, layer upon layer.
Group Exhibitions
2020 Wallenius Wabriik, Juupajoki, Beginning Exhibition 9.6.-31.8.2020
2020 Gallery Dix, Helsinki, Kevätnelikko-Vårfyran 18.4.-7.5.2020
2018 Gumbostrand Konst & Form Summer Exhibition 1.6.-2.9.2018
2017 Hämeenkylä Church, Helsinki 22.10.–12.11.2017
2017 Haaga Art Society annual exhibition, Gallery Ars Longa 10.-22.10.2017
2017 Art goes to Destiny, Helsinki 24.8.-22.10.2017
2017 Gallery EVA, Helsinki, Summer Exhibition 10.–30.7.2017
2017 Cable Factory, Valssaamo, Helsinki 31.5.-11.6.2017
2016 Hietsu Pavilion, Haaga Art Society, 20.-30.9.2016
2016 Cable Factory, Puristamo, Helsinki, Haaga Art Society 50th Anniversary Exhibition 5.-19.9.16
2016 Gumbostrand Konst & Form, Good news, Artist Group Comosca 2.4.-29.5.2016
2015 Cable Factory, Puristamo, Haaga Art Society Exhibition 29.9-11.10.2015
2015 Centrum Promocji Kultury, Warsaw Poland 2015
2015 Gallery Emil, Artist Group Comosca,Tampere 9.1.-29.1.2015
2014 Gallery Artika, Helsinki, Haaga Art Society Exhibition 23.9.-5.10.2014
2014 Gallery Artika, Helsinki, Art Cooperative members’ 19.8.-7.9.2014
2014 Gallery Artika, Helsinki, Old Master's Exhibition, June 4.-15.6.2014
2014 GA Gallery Aapeli, Cable Factory, Helsinki 13.5.-1.6. 2014
2014 Cable Factory, Valssaamo, Helsinki 30.4-11.5.2014
2014 Gallery Artika, Helsinki, Cooperative members’ 17.4.-27.4.2014
2013 Gallery Artika, Helsinki, Touch of Nature 11.-29.11.2013
2013 Gallery Artika, Helsinki, Opening Exhibition 23.8.-8.9.2013
2013 Alfa Art, Summer Exhibition, Encounters 3.7.-28.7.2013
2013 Gallery 3K, Helsinki, On the Road 15.5.-26.5.2013
Solo Exhibitions
2017 Theater Bell Bar, Helsinki, Mar Adentro 27.10.-31.12.2017
2017 Hotel Gustavelund, Kerava, Mar Adentro 1.-31.12.2017
Joint Exhibitions
2014 Gallery Artika, Soul Scapes (Saara Kiuru-Nina Caballero), Helsinki 4.11.-16.11.2014
Art Education
2023 The University of The Arts Helsinki, Strategic Management of Arts
2022 The University of The Arts Helsinki, Art and Cultural Entrepreneurship
2022 The University of The Arts Helsinki, Communication and The Effectiveness of Art in Society
2022 The University of The Arts Helsinki, Introduction to Socially Engaged Arts (SEA) Practice
2022 The University of The Arts Helsinki, Curating
2021 The Arcada University of Applied Sciences, Digital Design
2021 Helsinki Design School, Photography, 2020-2021
2021 The University of The Arts Helsinki, Creative Business Management, 2020-2021
2017 Alfa Art, Professional Painter, 2013-2017
1991 AhlmanEdu, Visual arts, 1990-1991
Inspiration to Create
She is inspired by complex dynamics and relationships within individuals and nature. She uses metal sheets and paints to create compositions juxtaposing representational and abstract figure paintings. The metal substrate and paint communicate layers or levels of reality.
One that is easily perceived and directly in front of us and one that can be felt and is dynamic or changing. To explore the connective character of our experience, she visually composes the figure and systems in nature. Studying how it is connected informs how she creates the atmosphere within and around her subjects. The ensuing work explores our fundamental connection to the environment and our relationships.
Artist Vision
Nina Sabina Caballero is a Helsinki-based creative and fine art professional. She is an outgoing individual with an entrepreneurial heart and a creative and visual mindset. Nina has a growing vision for her art and how she sees her place as an artist in this world.
The ability to be intensely creative, coupled with an objective perspective on why she is doing what she does, singles her out as an artist of great vision and integrity. Her goal as an artist is to bring the beauty of life, inspired by soul and feelings, in an emotion-provoking way in her paintings. Through her work, she aims to awaken people to the beauty in life and create a sense of love between people of all races, ethnicities, and nationalities.
" If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."
— Vincent van Gogh