Angola's, Mexico's, Mozabmique's, Etiopia's masks 1979

Mariam Aslamazian made this oil painting, Angola's, Mexico's, Mozambique's, Etiopia's masks, and it's a trip! The way she handles those browns, it's like they're vibrating with light. It's like she's wrestling with the process of making itself. The materiality of this painting is so present. You can almost feel the texture of the masks and that crazy shell at the bottom. See that drippy brown streak on the central mask? It's a rebel yell against perfection. It is thick and juicy and full of feeling. It keeps it real. Aslamazian has echoes of someone like Marsden Hartley, who knew how to load up a painting with both emotion and the sheer joy of looking. Ultimately, it's like she's saying, "Hey, let's not take art, or ourselves, too seriously. Let’s just dive in and see what happens."