The Gallery at Queen’s Park presents:
“Vulnerability”
by Alisha
Sian
Exhibition Dates: February 5 – 23, 2020
Opening Reception: Wednesday, February 5, 2020, 6-8pm
Artist Talk: Sunday, February 16, 2020, 3-4pm
Free Admission.
EXHIBITION STATEMENT
Vulnerability is an abstract realism drawing series that explores nakedness, internalized invalidation, and unrelenting conflict, from both inside and outside of the self. Invoking feminist and cultural themes of conformity, scrutiny, self-consciousness and self-empowerment, each portrait utilizes intensified contrast and experimental line work to highlight instances of lightness in heavy states of being.
The creations of a long-time dweller in the colourless world of graphite pencils and putty erasers, Sian’s black and white drawings explore mysterious territory—the strange borderline between realism and abstraction, and delicate balance of harmony and chaos—in order to convey the complex beauty of faces, bodies, and experiences. A budding career as a mental health nurse and compassion for all living beings play a dominant role in Sian’s goal with every drawing—to find solace in the darkest of places. She hopes that her art will encourage others to explore themselves completely and unapologetically.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Surrey-based visual artist Alisha Sian has aspired to embrace her artistic passions from an early age, including enrollment at Emily Carr. Like many young girls of South Asian heritage growing up in an increasingly expensive city, her family pressured her into a more financially viable career path, and away from pursuing art in any professional context. Sian has taken matters into her own hands and is sharing her debut exhibition drawing series, Vulnerability, in the hopes of starting her career as a professional artist.
Sian frequents life-drawing seminars in the metro Vancouver area and since 2017 has been commissioned for portrait work, mostly in graphite pencil. She has earned a nursing degree from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and completed a practicum in mental health, addictions and youth care. She is now a fully certified nurse, a profession that deeply inspires the emotional content of her work.
