Treasure Box Collage

... From the outset, her work has centered on issues surrounding cross-cultural identity that arose from her own life experiences. Born in Germany in 1977 to Vietnamese parents, Nathalie grew up in the small town of Lampertheim Germany where she, her parents, and her sister constituted the only Vietnamese family in town. In 1989 her family moved to Pforzheim, Germany, a conservative city in the south. In response to the rising number of racist assaults against Turkish families as well as other ethnic groups in Germany in this period, she joined the Young Social Democratic Party when she was just 13 years old in order to help educate German High School students about cultural diversity. In 1993, out of concern for the family's safety, her fathermoved their family to Scottsdale Arizona in the United States. It was during her time at the University of Missouri-Columbia when she first encountered an international community of students who shared many of the same cross-cultural concerns. At this point, she became very involved with the university's international community and began working in a number of student organizations to raise awareness and encourage dialogue about different cultures and traditions while simultaneously beginning her studies in art.

<<statement