Sense of Sight
I am preoccupied with the nature around us and within us, the history that we make and have made–a history defined not by time but by energy. I look at modern events and tragedies, both ecological and social, and how those events manifest in contemporary life. I make art not just to produce objects, but also to explore phenomena, whether they occur in the world or in my dreams, as thoughts in my mind or as rocks on the ground.
An ingrained impulse prompts my restless and spontaneous nature to continually set up artistic problems for myself. The process of solving a problem becomes more engaging than the solution itself.
Painting instinctively, I favor subconscious association. In fantastical invented spaces, perceptually recognizable and unrecognizable images and forms find their position fluidly. These visual poems are intermingled with opposites struggling for parity, debating the interchangeability of order and chaos, reality, and fantasy. I utilize materials playfully and symbolically. The layering constructs and deconstructs, covers, recovers, exposes, and transforms time, space, and language organically. Combining means and modalities such as carving, miniature painting, and gestural abstraction is inevitably a component of my fluid and conceptual process.
My painting and photographic series often parallel each other in layering and complexity. The photographs record my sensitivity to the perception of light, movement, and the drama of the moment. I use physical manipulation to create surreal compositions that extend beyond reality and visual perception.
Projections series: In my photography I no longer work in the darkroom as I was trained, but employ several in-camera and digital techniques, including multiple exposure, scanning, digital editing, and light manipulation. I also set up elaborate installations before the camera and layer and re-photograph images through a series of projections. The photographic format can maintain a simple one-to-one relationship, or it can consist of large horizontal scrolls or grids in which each piece is independent yet part of a larger conceptual whole.
FATEMAH BURNES is an artist, educator, curator, and activist based in Los Angeles. She obtained formal and informal artistic training, received a BFA and MFA, and did additional graduate studies in art history and exhibition design. Since 1992 she has exhibited her own work nationally and internationally, curated over 100 exhibitions, and authored numerous publications.
Fatemeh’s painting and photography focus on nature and human nature by looking at modern events and tragedies, both ecological and social, and how those events manifest in contemporary life. Some of her most current work highlights environmental and identity issues, specifically in the context of her experiences as an immigrant and as a woman.