Canadian artist Niloo Inalouei's gestural paintings depict memory through abstracted portraiture.
Inalouei's striking paintings hold incredible weight on the canvas. She uses memory and imagination of Persian and Canadian cultures to transform the past with present knowledge. By utilizing cool blue tones and minimal brushstrokes she creates eerily haunting absences and ghostly figures. The use of line and shape draw your eye around and through each area of the canvas, with intentional movement created through careful composition. Her paintings confront the viewer, pushing the questions: What is missing? What has been taken away? Her series Kitchen Knife consists of sixteen painted knife sculptures, poignantly addressing the violence that affects the lives of many women. This breathtaking body of work gives space for the viewer to reflect upon societal norms and gender roles within (and outside of) our homes, bringing to light the distance we still have to go to make real change on issues facing women today.
Niloo Inalouei's paintings and sculptural works provide a space for the viewer to question identity and culture while appreciating the figurative language she accomplishes with her brushstrokes and attention to detail. Her commitment to her practice infuses each work with a seriousness that can't be duplicated.
