Mother Nature – Sammia Atoui

March 2 – April 14

Larrabee Gallery

Sammia Atoui’s subject matter spans portraits, flowers, and nature. She often works on paper: drawing, and watercolor. Her marks are strong, physical, and lyrical. Her subjects take up most of the composition, creating an intimate experience for subject and viewer. Her viewpoint is an intentional, deliberate, and celebratory feminine perspective. She puts her experience as a feminine and female member of our society into the core of her work. She uses the seduction of the gaze to connect the art piece to historical and contemporary feminine experiences. Her hand is present in the image. The marks of drawing, of erasing, or carving are present and shown for the viewer. The viewer knows the subject has been touched and shaped by hand for them to look at. Bright, clear color is used to entice the viewer further.

Sammia’s interest in her subject stems from her personal experience as a woman, a mother, and a person awed by the natural world. She has studied feminist theory and seeks out female artists of all types to explore themes of the feminine in her work. Her choice of materials reflect the impermanence of the natural world and our experience in it as the wood, water, and pulp used are materials that come from and can return to the earth.