How to remember that, which I didn't see? Kadri, 2023
Oil on canvas
I painted portraits and figures, quickly, during 20 minute sessions. The paintings have been covered up by either over painting them later or adding a layer of blurred plexiglass. I study limitations and boundaries by asking the questions: how to remember that which I didn’t see and what form does a person take in my memory? Sometimes I use safety layers to soften the encounters with people. Oftentimes I just shut my eyes. This series of paintings dwells from the period of my life when I gradually lost my eyesight. I felt huge embarrassment and spent an insane amount of energy to cover up the shortcomings that came with it. I didn’t know if I would ever see again. I didn’t paint. Can limitations be the impetus for new vision and progress? Does the partial coverage of the view help you focus on the selected area and see the magic in what might otherwise be overlooked? Does the limitation of time create a new possibility or does it deprive us of something?