Zara Kand
Painter based in California High Desert
ABOUT
Zara Kand is an American Symbolist painter based in Southern California. She has exhibited throughout numerous venues within the US and has been featured in many online and print publications across the globe. Zara has had several art book publications, including her latest “From the Moon, as I fell”, with L.I. Henley, which was recently featured on NPR radio. She currently lives in the California high desert where she spends most of her time oil painting, curating art shows, teaching painting classes, and illustrating. She is also the editor of The Gallerist Speaks, an interview series focusing on gallery owners, directors and curators.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I paint that which I find mysterious. Art making is a means of processing the subconscious, the end vision providing a way to better understand ourselves and the meaning behind our shared existence. In my work this language often consists of symbolism, curious landscapes familiar yet distant, and figures that are often as confused as we are. My paintings can be moody, sometimes dark, sometimes beautiful, and usually comprised of imagery rooted in concept. I have always believed that it is the duty of the arts to inform culture, by either providing an insightful window into the true nature of humankind, or by propelling it forward with unique ideas and techniques. There have certainly lived some true visionaries throughout art's history, capable of influencing the ideas of scientists and philosophers alike, whose ripple we still bear witness to. Knowing this has always pushed me to want to be a better, more impactful artist in my own way. It is my goal to create works that are intellectually and emotionally challenging, so as to help promote the kind of self reflection that leads to internal growth, and hence, a more conscientious world.
Website: zarakand.com
Instagram: @zarakandart