My first proposal was to visit more than one opening today, but… At the Galleri Sjöhästen, there where so many impressions and good stories from the artist, so I decided to stay. It’s the first exhibition by Karima Ben Otman in Sweden. My first impression consist of powerful and warm colours with its own expression and an individual style.

Between me and one of the colourful art work I’m looking at for the moment, the artist suddenly came and asked what I’m thought about the art works. My answer was the first impression of colourful art work and a cheerful artist and it became even better. It felt like everyone had an eye on me. Both the artist and all the art works. An eye contact between me and the motifs on the wall through the hall. It’s always nice to discuss and to know more about the art works and to knowing more than all you see on the walls. I appreciate that.

I started to read the article about the artist and her work, technics and life. So to know more about it, I recommend you to read the article in the newspaper. My focus here, is how about I appreciated the exhibition, the encounter and the works of art.

First I wondered were the inspiration came from? Maybe Picasso, Matisse or the Egyptian art, but through our talk, I perceived her art works as an expression of herself, by the artist and no one else. Every composition express a feeling. Apart from the colourful art works of motifs with one or two eyes and linear contours, there was also many faces and fishes. Some of her paintings became directly my favourites. For example (see photos below).

As usual, I’m searching for movements, lines, depth and symbols in the composition. The 3D perspective is not in the motif. Rather in the materials and technics. Thick layers of material form shadows in the mold and creating the depth in the image. Movements in the pictures are the results of our imagination, the viewer’s. A talk and a shy conversation between to motives, are both a movement in the eyes and a current feeling, “42. Be my Friend”. 

Apart from the interesting discussion with the artist – a cheerful artist, I wrote down some notes and learned that the paint on texture is acryl and material consists of newspaper and special paper to get right texture. I can say that, there are many good artists and good art, but this exhibition and all impressions and the expressions from all her works of art will be in my memory for a long time. 

A short note about the symbolic meaning of an eye and the fish, according the dictionary: The eye is a symbol of God’s almighty power. For the second, the right eye of Horus is a symbol for the sun and the left eye for the moon. Horus was the ancient Egyptian national patron. He was usually depicted as a falcon-headed god. Both eyes together in picture, symbolises the Universe. The fish for example, can symbolise Ichthys. 

© Björn Blomqvist 2015-09-19