Two naitives from Guinea 1979

Mariam Aslamazian made this painting, "Two Natives from Guinea," with what looks like pretty direct and unfussy brushwork. She’s not hiding anything from us, you know? The earthy reds and yellows and the purples, they're laid on in these flat, almost decorative patterns, especially in the dress on the left. There’s this great rhythm happening with the colours – like a song you can almost see. Notice how Aslamazian uses these simplified shapes and blocks of colour, and yet it all comes together to give you a sense of the figures standing there. It kind of reminds me of Gauguin, with those flat planes of colour and the interest in portraying people from other cultures. But Aslamazian brings her own, very bold sense of colour to it all. It’s like she’s saying, art isn't about tricking you into seeing reality, it’s about sharing how she sees the world. And that's always a conversation worth having.