Spotlight Artist

Hasani Sahlehe

South
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Heart Is Full

Soft glowing gradient with a white center and blue-purple edges

airbrushed acrylic on paper mounted on panel

Orange Pyramid with Parade

Abstract painting with vibrant blobs of red, orange, green, blue, and purple.

acrylic on raw canvas

Pink Pyramid with Songs

Abstract painting with a pink background and colorful, blurred shapes arranged in a triangle.

acrylic on raw canvas

Featured in New American Paintings1 / 3

Artist Statement

We embraced, we laughed, we ate. Your body no longer exists. I often wonder where you are. Have you found paradise? Are you amongst the clouds? Are you with the ghosts that my great-grandmother used to tell me about? They say that humans exist in body, spirit, and mind. Perhaps your little notes still contain your consciousness. Maybe, whenever I quote you, you breathe again. How much of you did I capture in that portrait from many years ago? You are not that painting. But like you, paint functions in multiple states. The material can be cast, poured, stained, or even airbrushed. The medium’s sundry properties reveal parallels between person and paint. The simple suns and rainbows that I render ponder the mysteries of this physical world, a callback to the Indigenous art of long ago. These vibrant motifs borrow the power of light. Their emphasis on the body of paint reminds me of you, their essence constantly expanding.

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