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Artist Talk: Saif Azzuz and Firelei Báez

Presented by Anthony Meier at Streaming Arts

Apr 11 2023
Artist Talk: Saif Azzuz and Firelei Báez

Artist Talk: Saif Azzuz and Firelei Báez

Artist talk with Saif Azzuz and Firelei Báez

Art Talk:
* Monday, April 11, 10:00 am PST / 1:00 pm EST⁠

Saif Azzuz and Firelei Báez will be in conversation over ZOOM next Monday, 11 April at 10:00 am PST / 1:00 pm EST.⁠


Saif Azzuz’s paintings straddle abstraction and surrealism in their sweeping use of color, sensual movement, and evocation of the natural world. The paintings are full and alive, pressing their power up to the very edges of the canvas, resisting their frames. The shapes he makes are like liquid leaves-stretching, reach­ing, pulling, pushing, almost vibrating with the cycles of the seasons. Azzuz uses a series of personal ges­tural marks and an iconography derived from the traditions and native land of his peoples. His work re­flects the resilience of Indigenous cultures and the importance of a holistic connection with the land, while simultaneously confronting the history of colonialism and manifest destiny.

The ghostly images of plants that cover Azzuz’s canvases are created by spraying various pigments (spray paint, dyes, inks) on top of native and invasive plant species which have been laid on top of the canvas, thus incorporating the land into each painting. Azzuzis color palettes are taken from the drought and fire maps from California in 2021.

His work revolves around the de-contextualization of Yurok and Arab imagery. Starting with stories by, of, and for family members, Azzuz constructs spaces utilizing colorful ink and acrylic paint on tapestry-like canvas imbuing the work with the washy luminosity and gentle disquiet of dreams. The titles for his pieces are conversational and often include Yurok language, further highlighting traditional and contemporary culture side-by-side, and asserting Yurok people’s deep, ongoing commitment to land stewardship. Through self-defined symbolism communicating ideas such as movement, energy and time, Azzuz works to acknowledge and validate generational trauma, resilience, land and story.

ADMISSION INFO

Free Admission

Additional time info:

Art Talk:
* Monday, April 11, 10:00 am PST / 1:00 pm EST⁠

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