Raha Alipourfard

Solitude 5

Solitude Series, done with acrylic and oil on canvas, depicts a lonely female figure in different positions in her solitude. The patterns in this series of paintings are inspired by Persian rugs and traditional Persian motifs.Solitude 5, is done in OSA/OA project, in response to The Threshold by Florence Carlyle.

“Here, this colonized land has embraced immigrants from all over the world during its history. Immigrants come with their own history, their own memories, and their own feelings, but many of them experience the same solitude, and loneliness far from their homeland. Not only does solitude and missing memories interconnect immigrants all over Canada’s land, but also, many of them are connected to this soil and its history, by their homeland's history. They are coming from colonized countries; they are coming from countries with dictator governments in their history, so they deeply feel what the original owners of this land have been gone through. When it comes to humanity, emotions, and feelings, there is no difference in where we are coming from, cultural icons, and stories are different, but the passion and sorrow we feel, incrementally displace us as an independent person. We are connected; we are connected to each other through the land, through the soil, through our humanity. I feel when you are suffering in the farthest part of history, I feel the pain in your body, and I feel sorrow in your heart. No matter what we are doing, and in what position we are, we go into our solitude, our anxiety, and our sorrow, when we feel the unbearable circumstances that people have experienced. This interconnection defines my life, rearticulates my days and nights, and motivates my art.”