ARTIST STATEMENT
I have found solace in self-portraiture. Capturing myself allows me the chance to pause time. A moment of vulnerability, free of expectations or stigmas. I am now my own director before taking the stage of life where lines are often rehearsed and roles assumed. I find or construct a space. Sometimes clothed but often I choose to be nude. Using myself as clay I am challenged to speak with solely body language. My portraits can be spur of the moment, ignited by a dream or sparked by feelings I don’t have words for. Self-portraiture provides the opportunity to be both the artist and the art. If you consider yourself art then you are now free to take any form you please. Images kept private or shared, I believe self-portraiture is a wonderful exercise of self-love, reflection, and exploration. My goal is to inspire everyone to try this practice, see what they discover and to know that they only need to bring one thing, themselves.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Zahra is an artist born in Chicago Illinois. She enjoys exploring cities and time spent in nature. Her love for photography developed in high school from the desire to capture the things and moments she observed in everyday life. She has taken a few art classes but is primarily self taught. Zahra’s work was first featured in the George Caleb Bingham Gallery. Her piece Asobii was purchased by the University of Missouri and is currently on display in their art collection. Her work has also been featured twice at The Fulton Street Collective for their exhibitions: The Color Red and Portraits. Zahra enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures. She often draws inspiration from music, architecture and landscapes found around the world. During her time spent living in Japan, as a foreigner, she developed a deeper sense of solitude and self awareness. This contributed to her interest in self-portraiture which she considers a chance to examine what it means to be both the observer and the subject observed. Zahra believes that self-portraiture is a powerful practice of self-expression and exploration. In her work she hopes to inspire viewers to create their own self portraits and that it will challenge them to redefine what it means to see themselves.
© Zahra Edwards