Paintings From 2020 - 2021
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Night of Destiny 2021 Gouache and ink on Yupo paper 11 paintings for children's book illustration The children book is ‘Zaynab’s Night of Destiny’. Written by Denmo Ibrahim and produced by the Commonwealth Theater Center. It is about a search of identity of the 9-year-old Egyptian immigrant which took her in a magical journey during the month of Ramadan, and specifically on the night that is called the night of destiny. The night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammed. For Z it was the night when her identify was revealed to her. The illustrations are made on the synthetic Yupo paper, which has zero water absorption. This makes curious waves of diffusion and intermingling of paints on the surface. Consequently, the carefully planned drawings of characters and events juxtaposed unexpected escapes of colors and distortions of lines. Control and anarchy wrestled together in this experiment. |
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Portrait of Katayoun
2021 Oil and screen printing on panel 30” x 24” I met Katayoun Amjadi through a mutual friend “Christina Schmid” who wanted us to meet. I found Katayoun an inspiring young artist with a lot of fresh wisdom to share. A year later she included me in one of her installation projects “The Names We Change”. During that interview, we both saw the multiple mirroring of our lives. Her latest exhibit “S/WORD” reflects on how art can be equal to a gun as a weapon in wars and conflicts even though they appear opposite to each other. In poetic draping scrolls of printed paper, she ponders on how ink and blood spill on the same ground. In response to her work my mixed media painting “Portrait of Katayoun” reflects on how our understanding and consumption of art is shaped by cultural and hereditary influences. I borrowed my colors (red, black, white) from her scrolls. Both she and we see each other through a network of interlacing decorative Persian motif. Apparently benign and beautiful but also stereotypical and categorizing. |
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The Scholar
2021 Oil on panel 18” x 24” In a corner in an imaginary school in the Islamic empire in the Middle Ages, sits this teacher disguised as a man with a turban and male dress. I have not yet process what this means to me. I just imagined that there must be some genders who could not pursue their ambitions without being designated as males. |
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Super Ego
2021 Oil on paper on MDF panel 18” x 24” During the compulsory shrinking of my public life this year, I find myself face to face with my inner beings. My dreams often have a mother figure which signifies facing my inner larger than life super ego. It is the voice telling me how to live my life in the proper way. I realized that I am fed up with this voice and need to play a little. But first, I have to stand up to face this overwhelmingly charming loving and dominating being. This painting is my process to do that. It is inspired by the image of Madonna and child which always grips me. It is specially haunting when the child appears often as a miniature adult. So, here is a double self-portrait as a child and a Madonna. |
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The Bluest Eye: Self-Portrait with Blue Eyes
2020 Gesso, gouache and gold leaf on construction paper 22” x 26” Hexagon This is an homage to Toni Morrison’s novel. As Covid19 forced me into social Isolation it inspired a new self-examination, reacquainting and rediscovering myself. Covid-19 also revealed to the whole humanity the extent and the depth of social inequality. In those moments I identified with Pecola Breedlove in Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye. |
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Allat
2020 Acrylic on panel 18" x 24" Al-Lat is a pre-Islamic goddess who was worshipped throughout ancient Arabia. Together with Al-Uzza, the warrior goddess, and Manat, the fate goddess, they were called Allah's daughter. She was associated with Athena and Minerva. Her name is the feminine version of Allah. |
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Dream of Fatimah
2020 Acrylic on Canvas 24" x 30" This painting represents "People of The House of Prophesy", Fatimah, her father, her husband, and her two sons. It is an illustration of the "Story of The Cloak". Narrated by Fatimah, the story describes how this quintinity (five in one) forms a holy unit. Subtly, but clearly, the story created a hierarchy that starts with Fatimah. Her father, Prophet Mohammed, not only appeared second but also asked for her protection and care. I called it prayer because in the end of the story, there is a directive that whenever the story is retold, there will be blessings to everyone present. |
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Hafsa Scribing The Qur'an
2020 Acrylic on Canvas 30" x 16" Muhammed's wife, Hafsa, was entrusted to keep scripts of the Qur'an. Her father was one of the few literate people of the tribe. What if she actually was the original scribe of the Qur'an? |