Zia, Partou
Partou Zia’s otherworldly canvases bring a fresh note to the long established tradition of storytelling. Her pictorial language features motifs and symbols including lovers, sleepers, dreamers and readers, placed in evocative interiors or luminous landscapes. Zia’s body of work represents a personal journey of self-discovery, with individual works manifesting as joyous acts of the imagination, gathering all experience and time into a vibrant present. Her use of colour was usually symbolic; for example, she associated yellow with spirituality.
Zia often portrayed domestic scenes, incorporating into them her own self-portrait. In Green Breath, 2006 she is drained of colour, unlike her vibrant surroundings: a cloud of green, which is thought to represent growth and nature, surrounds the figure like an enigmatic aura.
- Artwork Details: 152 x 183cm
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- Material description: Oil on canvas
- Credit line: © Estate of Partou Zia. Gift of the artist’s estate. Image courtesy of Estate of Partou Zia
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- Accession number: ACC40/2019