Echoes of Water Series by Negar Pooya

 

Location: Humber College International Graduate School - 6th Floor Quiet Study Space

Medium: Photography

Artist Statement:

For me, water is a symbol of life. It flows through each and every one of us, and our survival depends on it. Unfortunately, humans seem to be increasingly disconnected from nature, unaware of how our actions can severely impact the climate. To sustain our future, we must acknowledge the relationship we share with water and try to conserve it as much as possible. 

Last year, Iran faced many challenges. In the Khuzestan province, lakes and rivers dried up due to mismanagement, and dams were built in harmful locations because of poor planning. Many lives were disrupted by these incidents, and some died in protest. As I followed along watching the news, the notion of water consumed me, and inspired my photography series Echoes of Water. I am from a culture where one learns to express themselves indirectly, with allegories, symbolism, and conceptual art having a very long history in the Middle East. Consequently, these pieces are quite abstract as they examine a different kind of relationship between humans and nature. In Echoes of Water, the greenery is unpleasant, the water polluted – there is no solace here. A departure from my previous works, in this series I no longer seek a place to breathe. Instead, I want to use my art as a socio-political tool in which we can discuss our human disconnect from nature, and the role we are playing in our self-destruction.  

 

Artist: Negar Pooya | Humber College Alumni

Artist Bio:

Negar Pooya is a multidisciplinary artist born in 1971, and currently living and working in Toronto. As an Iranian woman, she tries to incorporate her personal experiences within her practice. Her background as a painter has played a massive role in her photography, where she is currently exploring environmental issues. Negar’s works have been presented in exhibitions across Iran, Canada, Japan, Romania, and the USA. They are part of collections including the Contemporary Museum of Art in Iran, the University of Maryland, the Mobile Museum of Art, and the Florean Museum in Romania. Negar received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from the University of Art in Tehran. In 2018 and 2019, she completed several technical photography courses at Humber College to enhance her digital photography and lighting skills.

 

 

See more of Negar's work at:

www.negarpooya.com | www.instagram.com/negar.pooya