NOTES on PRACTICE
Working through figuration inspired by Baroque artists like Caravaggio, Georges de La Tour and Gentileschi, my work serves as a reflection into the intersection of vulnerability, resilience and spiritual introspection though the rendering of figures that energe from the dark, embodying moments of tension.
I perceive the figure as both a social and spiritual site, becoming a stage where the facets of life converge and where gestures carry both agency and weight. The fabric serves as an extension of the body, actively participating in the narrative, mirroring our desires for freedom, security and self-expression.
In this space, visibility is not neutral but something to be navigated; at times asserted and at other times, withheld. Rather than resolving these tensions, my paintings hold them, creating a space for the complexities of the human condition.
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BC, Canada
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I, Michelle Msami, acknowledge that I am working, living and creating on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Stó:lō, Semá:th (Sumas), Mathxwí (Matsqui), and Leq\'á:mel First Nations.
© Copyright 2025 Michelle Msami | All rights reserved.