My practice as a painter for more than twenty years has been inspired by that mysterious space between those universal opposites in nature and human life: order and chaos.
I seek to convey at times beauty and discord, at times calm and refuge found in in nature and human design. Influenced early on by the writings of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, I began painting motifs from nature, shapes of honeycombs and tree roots, which I have intermingled with abstract forms and lines. Without horizon lines or perspective to give order and focus, [each of my works creates its own tensions and emotions.]
My work also attempts to create ambiguity or even confusion by juxtaposing seemingly unconnected images. To do this, I have incorporated into many of my paintings fragments of photographs, some manipulated, some layered over others, some obscured by paint. The images come from a variety of sources such as family archives, my own photography and appropriated magazine images. But all resonate on a personal level.
My work allows me to focus on our perceptions of what is real or fake, what is true or false. Overloaded with information, purposely unfocused and evasive, my paintings become a kind of visual recording of the process and experience of recollection. Beliefs based on media, memory, and experience shape one's reality, individual truth, or creed.
Mally Khorasantchi
2025