Dara Aram

STATEMENT

In past works I have used mixed media to portray human rights events; various metals to create installations, photo montage and acrylic paints; sculpture materials to build life-sized figures and thick layers of textured, acrylic paints mixed with gel that provide the background for my subjects. My search for meaning in past projects has found hope and inspiration in the motifs of Mesopotamian history and mythology. Mesopotamia, from the Greek meaning “between two rivers,” also known as the “Cradle of Civilization, clearly maintains a vital and crucial place in the destiny of humankind.

“My recent work is a continuation of the exploration of visual expression about the human relationship with others and with nature. These contemporary works reflect my daily views from my balcony overlooking the Toronto skyline…. Mystical shadows and lines combined with the colorful sky formations and nature inspire these works…. Watery images, dark misty horizons and whimsical forms fuel the soul’s imagination. Continuing with my former themes, I have incorporated abstracted forms of women in these recent paintings. The works are simplified, depicting three main layers of strata floating with splashes of abstracted forms found amidst the horizon lines, orchestrating the history and music of time and the ever-changing environmental landscape. Many of my paintings are inspired by my travels throughout Ontario and also by the views from my studio. The colorful landscapes and the beautiful light of the different seasons motivate me. I combine the abstracted landscapes with human figures. Every place I see creates a different mood and inspiration for my work. In these works, I depict how nature and the human form are inseparable.

Artists, since time immemorial, have conveyed their message with images rather than logical, linear statements. In this series, my new works in progress attempt to portray a journey into the imaginary realms of the unconscious. I hope that the mystical images, forms and environmental themes that are emerging in these paintings will serve as an inspiration to modern, industrialized man, who urgently needs to reconnect with his lost soul, a soul that lies languishing under the weight of our modern, cold, corporate world where profits and statistics reign supreme over the human spirit and the environment.

AWARDS:

2017 Artists in Education, Ontario Arts; 2015 Short Grant, Ontario Arts Council; Ontario Society Of Artists, 2014 Artists in Education; Ontario Arts Council, 2013 Short Grant; Ontario Arts Council, 2011 Artists Project; Ontario Arts Council, Short Grant; Ontario Arts Council, 2010 Artists Project; Ontario Arts Council , 2009 Short Grant; Ontario Arts Council, 2008 Artists in Education; Ontario Arts Council, (Special Project), 2007 Short Grant; Ontario Arts Council, 2006 Artists in Education; Ontario Arts Council, 2003 Artists in Education; Ontario Arts Council, 2002 Artists in Education; Ontario Arts Council; 2000, Artists in Education, (Ontario Arts Council); 1999 Mid-Career Artist’s Grant, Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Canada; 1997 Visual Arts Individual Grant Ontario Arts Council; Artists in Education, Ontario Arts Council; 1996 Artists in Education, Ontario Arts Council and Visual Arts Short Grant, Ontario Arts Council.

PUBLICATIONS:

1988-2011…… The Hamilton Spectator by Regina Haggo. Scarborough Mirror by Danielle Millery. Mirror Paper By Eric Heino and Phil Lameira(Mystic Horizon. Mirror Paper By Mike Adle ( Anfal Exhibition). Mirror Paper by Olga B Herrmann. Mirror Paper by Kim Champion, Toronto, Canada. Surface&Symbol Paper by Kalli Paakspuu, Toronto, Canada. The Hamilton Spectator by Susan Clairmont , Hamilton, Ont. Canada. Hangow Magazine, UK. and Sharawnd Paper, Mix Magazine Toronto. The Hamilton Spectator by Jeff Mahoney, Hamilton, Ont. Canada, Yakgrtan Magazine, Denmark. Al Miraat Paper Montreal. Ozgur Politika Paper Germany. Parallelagramma, Toronto. Surface & Symbol Paper, Scarb, Ont., Canada. Al Teshrin Paper, Syria.

INTERVIEWS:

1995-2001 Rogers TV, Toronto, Canada. K TV, Copenhagen , Denmark. CFMT TV, Toronto, Canada. Hangow Radio and MTV, Stockholm, Sweden. Shaw TV, Scarborough, Ont., Canada. Rogers TV, Toronto, Ont., Canada. Med TV, Belgium.