@lydiajart
I create art as an exploration of the human condition. Through my personal experiences and the experiences of others, I explore themes of identity, otherness, alienation, faith, healing, and movement through both physical and emotional spaces. I believe that visual art touches the deepest part of us and is a conduit for our most complex emotions and psychological experiences.
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My piece is about the journey of my friend from Afghanistan to the US. His story is detailed in the interview:
This image depicts the subject looking upwards, reflecting on the memory of the day his city was bombed. His mother was walking to work, and he remembers looking out the window, wondering if she was safe amid the chaos. The mixed media piece depicts him leaning out the window, watching helicopters fly over. The image is meant to evoke warmth and nostalgia as well as uneasiness and loss. Parchment paper is ripped and painted over to create layers of texture as if seeing through the debris of a memory.