Negin Dastgheib
Shared Lines: Pūtahitanga exhibiting artist
Paisley Dreams (2020) 400x400mm
Green Apples (2019) 300x400mm
Negin Dastgheib paints flowers and plant matter as a way to express her internal, romantic longing for a utopian world. Nostalgia has always played an important role in her work as she has moved through themes of her family’s past in Iran and memories of places where she has felt at ‘home’ . Beauty and the desire to connect to nature and the divine is a large part of Iranian culture. It can be seen through the works of poets such as Rumi and Hafez, the architecture and the generosity of the people.
As she explores nature as a site for spiritual connection, she has a desire to bring in more beauty into this world. This natural beauty is a space of sensory enjoyment and depth of feeling where intuition guides colour and form.
Dastgheib explains sensuality as a form of awareness and connection to our body. It is also about being open to receiving stimulation from our external environments. This process becomes not only one of enjoyment but of feminine empowerment where she is able to create a loving space for her connection to her own nature.
@instaanegs
Shared Lines: Pūtahitanga 2020
This painting was made as a site of hope in this time. I believe connecting to nature is a way to connect to our own internal nature which, in conjunction with colour and expressive mark making can provide a space of relief for the viewer.