How often do you dismiss the bland shopping centre car park, the forgotten swimming pool behind a chain-link fence, or the sterile apartment complex courtyard? These unremarkable spaces that most of us hurry past without a second glance hold hidden stories—narratives of human experience tucked into the most ordinary corners of suburban life. For photographer Natalie Christensen, these overlooked places aren’t obstacles to beauty; they’re treasure troves waiting to be discovered.
‘It is our nature to ignore what is unpleasant, but sometimes I get a glimpse of the sublime in these ordinary places,’ says Christensen. ‘When I find it, it feels like I have discovered gold.’
Christensen brings a unique perspective to her camera work—one shaped by 25 years as a psychotherapist before she transitioned to photography around 2014. Based between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Louisville, Kentucky, the 1966-born artist has spent decades studying human behaviour and the hidden emotional territories we all carry. Her extensive background in psychology creates a lens through which everyday architecture becomes a symbolic language.
The influence of psychologist Carl Jung’s theories on visual artists runs deep in Christensen’s work. Jung’s concepts of the collective unconscious and archetypal symbolism provide a framework for understanding how ordinary spaces can trigger profound emotional responses. Artists working with Jungian principles often tap into universal symbols and themes that resonate across cultures and personal experiences—exactly what Christensen achieves in her minimalist compositions.
Like other contemporary artists finding beauty in daily life, Christensen’s approach turns the mundane into something meaningful.
Deconstructed Self Comes to Central New York
This unique artistic vision arrives in central New York this August when SUNY Polytechnic’s Gannett Gallery hosts Deconstructed Self, Christensen’s solo exhibition running from 20 August through 3 October 2025. The show opens with an artist talk at 2.00pm on Wednesday 3 September, followed by a public reception from 4.00pm to 6.00pm. Both the exhibition and opening events are free and open to the public.
For those familiar with Christensen’s previous work—she’s exhibited internationally from Santa Fe to London to Barcelona, with features in publications including Vanity Fair and The Guardian—Deconstructed Self represents a continued exploration of psychological territories through suburban imagery. Her 2017 exhibition ‘Light Minded’ in Louisville demonstrated her ability to find emotional resonance in the most mundane settings.
Finding Gold in the Ordinary
‘I don’t have to go anywhere special to make my photography; instead, I find my images around shopping centres, apartment complexes and office parks,’ Christensen explains. This deliberate choice to work in locations that might be considered visually unremarkable requires a particular kind of seeing—one that looks beyond surface aesthetics to uncover what lies beneath.
Her approach challenges the conventional wisdom of spectacular photography. Rather than seeking out dramatic vistas or exotic locations, Christensen positions herself in the spaces we inhabit daily but rarely truly observe. Closed and open doors, empty parking lots, forgotten swimming pools—these become her subjects, each carrying potential for deeper interpretation. It’s a philosophy that echoes contemporary movements encouraging viewers to slow down and reflect on their surroundings.
The Psychology of Space
Jung’s influence on contemporary art extends beyond simple symbolism into the realm of therapeutic expression. His distinction between psychological art—work that expresses crucial human experiences—and visionary art rooted in deeper unconscious creativity helps explain why Christensen’s photographs feel so emotionally charged despite their seemingly empty subjects.
‘The symbols and spaces in my images are an invitation to explore a rich world that is concealed from consciousness,’ she notes. ‘And the scenes are an enticement to contemplate narratives that have no remarkable life or history yet tap into something deeply familiar to our experience; often disturbing, sometimes amusing…unquestionably present.’
This psychological depth separates Christensen’s work from simple architectural photography. Her compositions strip away context, encouraging viewers to project their own experiences onto the spaces she captures. The result is photography that functions almost like a Rorschach test—each viewer might find different stories hidden within the same seemingly simple image.
Her work shares common ground with contemporary artists exploring identity and human experience through their chosen mediums.
More Than Pretty Pictures
Visiting Deconstructed Self offers more than just viewing art. It’s an opportunity to slow down and reconsider the environments you move through every day. As a Gannett Gallery spokesperson puts it, ‘Her photographs challenge the viewer to consider what lies beneath the surface of what we think we know—about place, and about ourselves.’
The exhibition arrives when many people are seeking deeper meaning in their daily lives. Christensen’s work suggests that profound experiences don’t require exotic destinations or extraordinary circumstances—they’re available in the car park of your local supermarket, if you know how to look. This mindful observation of everyday spaces reflects broader artistic movements celebrating contemplative storytelling.
The Gannett Gallery sits on the first floor of Kunsela Hall at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, conveniently located in the geographic centre of New York state. Gallery hours run Monday through Friday, 10.00am to 4.00pm, with free admission throughout the exhibition’s run.
For those travelling from outside the area, Utica offers several cultural attractions worth combining with your gallery visit. The Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute and Utica Symphony Orchestra provide additional artistic experiences, whilst the surrounding Mohawk Valley offers natural settings that might make you see the actual countryside—ordinary and extraordinary—with fresh eyes.
When you stand before Christensen’s photographs, you might discover what she means about finding gold in overlooked spaces. More importantly, you might find yourself looking differently at the apparently unremarkable places in your own daily life—seeing not just empty lots and mundane buildings, but repositories of human experience waiting to be acknowledged.
