Shahrzad Amin

Witnesses

“Witnesses” is inspired by statues known collectively as the Tell Asmar Hoard (Early Dynastic I-II, ca. 2900–2550 BC). They are famous for having wide eyes and a sense of humble attentiveness.

““For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.” (Elie Wiesel). The world is full of occurrences that bring wonder and awe to us all. As human beings, sometimes we are rendered powerless in these scenarios. We are held captivated in these instances and become witnesses to what is awesome. The clean simplicity of these figures offers a vast space in which to push our minds. We can see a deep innocence, and compassionate gaze in their eyes that never force us to venture too deeply but, rather, leaves it entirely up to us as to how far in us might like to travel. Also, by sculpting Witnesses, I place myself in other people’s eyes, challenging my own belief systems, feeling their pain, sorrow, hope, joy, loss, andvulnerability. “Witnesses” are small simplified figures, standing or sitting in specific poses, all emphasize on their faces. I tried to present a variety of emotions, changing their facial expressions with minimum change in details.These figures are meant to move people to feel intense emotions. The best way to feel these intenseemotions is to look, look, and look again. The more the audience engages with the installation, the morefeelings shall emanate and propagate through; and thus the audience and the art unify.“Witnesses” don’t have a specific identity, they are symbols of different people who are conveying theirfeelings of what they are witnessing in this wondrous life. Their facial expression, astonished look, andtheir wide eyes show their reactions. Here I invite viewers to try to experience the Witnesses' sentiment. Iwant to challenge people to find answers to the Witnesses’ Enigmas, why are they so astonished? What arethey gazing at? Or what are they witnessing?”