About

C O A S T

Painting by Roxanna Salamian

Cliff , 2021, Ink, acrylic and fabric dye on canvas and cotton bedsheets, 263″ x 196″ (dimensions vary)

Artist Statement

In a world which has become increasingly detached from human touch, my work explores the remaining contact we have left with the natural world. By searching for techniques to merge manmade and natural forms alongside each other, the planet’s beauty and movement is documented whilst questioning the ways of presenting a painting. This reveals areas of a painting and qualities of materials that are traditionally concealed by displaying my work in unconventional ways.

Mimicking natural structures, material choice lies at the centre of this body of work. Creating sculptural paintings and installations brings a living bodily presence to the work, emphasising the movement of the invisible breath that nature takes. Adding a sense of feeling and atmosphere, these draped, folded and padded fabrics have evolved into an immersive experience. The use of height and scale creates a space where the viewer themselves believe to be walking through a painted landscape. Using the influence of an absent studio during lockdown, my excursions began to inform my work further, observing various natural forms and landscapes to work from. Through the limitations and constraints of a small lockdown studio, the installation work was encouraged to utilise the outdoor environment, where my paintings physically gained a direct insight into the natural elements. This includes the changes in colour, shape and light in the outside world, which through site specific installations has transferred into this body of work.

Alongside my painting practice I use photography to capture the transitory fleeting moments in an everchanging natural world and the impermanence of my site-specific installations. Utilisation of the camera and compositional techniques blends the line between fluid manmade fabrics and organic formations. These first hand experiences at site specific installations allow me to grasp the atmospheric energy of an environment, gaining an insight into light and sound to engross the audience during the experience.

 

Instagram: @roxannasalamian.art