SARA RIAZ KHAN

Artist's Statements

Vigil (2020)

This series was tied in with my reading 'Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Art and Death' by Rebecca Wragg Sykes. Her extraordinary forensic interpretation of remnants of who Neanderthals were and how they lived moved me tremendously. It made me think about what we leave behind, evidence of life from remains and the human impact on the environment. I had a powerful feeling of wanting to watch over and protect the earth.

The works are very gestural and I enjoyed the physical movement of using paint brushes to create forms in the early layers, as opposed to using sponges and the pouring and splattering techniques I often use. I also let more of the under layers show through as it seemed important to let the marks show.

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Vigil I

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Vigil III

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Vigil IV

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Vigil VI