N A H I D K H A K I
“New Works”
April 1 – May 30, 2011, Reception: April 7, 6-8
Khaki Gallery Boston is pleased to present “New Works,” by Nahid Khaki.
Paper, fabric, clay, wood, wire, threads and found objects are among the materials that Khaki uses to create her “New Works”.
“These days, one is bombarded with the news of world events: the many uprisings and unrest in the Arab world and the Middle East, the killings of innocent people by governments, the death and destruction brought by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the persistent negative news about the economy in this country and around the world… that one is faced with such a harsh reality every day. Making art is about understanding reality – and my work happens in the process of absorbing this reality which is full of opposites. For me, constantly misunderstood words are not the tools for expressing my emotions about the human condition and all the sufferings that take place in the world these days. The bold and bright pinks, oranges, yellows, greens and blues are my antidotes to this harsh reality, they cry out my feelings about the world I live in and in a way allow me to transition into another world where I can momentarily escape and forget this grim reality. There is a sense of immediacy and urgency inspired by this process of fragmented understanding of reality which helps me define my own identity through the language of art.”
In paper cutouts,titled “Future Generation” series, Khaki creates her abstract figure formations in groups of twos, threes and fours. These figures are fluid, dynamic and are constantly moving or dancing together. In the same style, the artist has painted figures on 36 x 74 fabric for the gallery windows and for a site-specific installation piece titled “Artificial Crowd,” in which a set of six cutout figures painted in bright colors, each approximately 27 x 70, are hanging with wire and color threads from the gallery ceiling.
In her sculptures, Khaki creates unique art objects from conventional found objects, clay, wood, wire, and other materials. In “Divorce,” the artist uses a smashed ring with two broken-off pieces of diamonds as a center piece on a raised structure made of clay and wood. In “Colorful Choir,” made out of a toy statue of a singing choir, painted in such bright colors that according to Khaki “one can feel the sound of their singing through the colors.”
Nahid Khaki is an Iranian-born artist who has lived in the United States since the early 1970s. Khaki has been active as an artist for the past three decades. Since 2005, she has been the director of Khaki Gallery in Wellesley, where she has exhibited works by many emerging artists. Khaki gallery expanded to the Boston South End art district in 2008.
www.khakigallery.net
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