Kymia Nawabi - Under the Influence New York Thursday, March 8, 2012 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Acquired directly from the artist

  • Exhibited

    New York, Work of Art: Kymia Nawabi, 22 December 2011- 5 February 2012

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Bridge is an homage to my father, who passed away 16 years ago. I rarely have dreams of him, but when I do it reinforces my belief in ghosts and spirits. The dreams make me feel like I have actually had a visit from him. Recently, in a dream of mine, we had a very simple exchange of question and answer:

    Bahdemjoon (my nickname for my father, which translates into “Eggplant” in Farsi): “What are you going to do with your life?”
    Kymia (as I stand before my father holding carving tools in my hands, with stacks of wood and all of my belongings piled up behind me): “I want to make boats.”

    He then disappeared-- not with disappointment, but rather with confidence in me. In this work, I wanted to honor my father's visit and my answer to him. There is a shadow of a pair of floating legs on the sail, but as the viewer looks above expecting to find the rest of the body, there is simply thin air. This suggests that just because we cannot see something, it does not mean it is not there. The boat simultaneously references what I am meant to build in response to my father's question concerning my future, and a Norse boat funeral which allows for reincarnation to occur. The title, The Bridge, alludes to the connection between life and death-- passing back and forth.

    Artist's Statement, January 2012

    Kymia Nawabi is the winner of the second season of Bravo's creative competition series Work of Art: The Next Great Artist.

1

The Bridge

2011
acrylic, glitter, ink and watercolor on paper
72 x 84 in. (182.9 x 213.4 cm)

Estimate
$7,000 - 9,000 

Sold for $8,750

Under the Influence

8 March 2012
New York