This week we welcome Sara Amirkhani, a visual artist originally from Iran who has just earned a Master’s Degree in Fine Art with a concentration in drawing and painting from Penn State University.
At Penn State, she had the opportunity to work under the supervision of Brian Alfred, Helen O’Leary and art historian and scholar Dr. Sarah K. Rich. Her source of inspiration is primarily classic Hollywood movies and their scenic designs.
“My art practice involves creating small-scale three-dimensional still-life collage compositions, which result in a final photograph. What influenced me significantly in this body of work was the authenticity of the scenery of classic movies, especially old Hollywood, when the sets were made manually, without the aid of digital manipulation. The lighting and shadows used in old Hollywood movies resonate deeply in my art practice. Films such as, ‘Singing in the Rain,’ ‘Sunset Boulevard’ and ‘Rear Window’ played a crucial role in my visual knowledge.
“The compositions that I create are made manually. They are physical and architectural. I do not use digital tools to create a shape and manipulate the photos. Each scene is composed of still-life objects and paper with various colors, light sources and shadows. All elements converge to create playful scenes that challenge human perception of reality.”
See more of Amirkhani’s work on her website and Instagram.
Check out more of our Artist of the Week features here.
