In Solemn Silence is an exhibition that explores the relationship between the figure and the atmosphere. Kaviani’s current practice involves referencing photographs of her family through a second lens, one that is catered with feelings of discomfort and longing. She seeks to replicate the feeling of certain moments in life where numerous discrepancies in time, logic and space coalesce creating bizarre existential-like moments, in which she is constantly subject to, especially when she is brought face to face with her culture and relatives. Psychology influences Kaviani’s work immensely as she is completing her double major in Psychology along with Studio Art at the University of Guelph.

Marjan Kaviani uses paint as a media to express ideas and capture experiences. In Solemn Silence is inspired by Kaviani’s nightmares, which blur the line between the conscious and subconscious. Using recordings of her sleep talking as inspiration, her current works showcase her Persian lifestyle through feelings of discomfort and longing, eliciting a questioning of reality.

Marjan Kaviani is Iranian-Canadian artist based in Toronto and Guelph, who works primarily in acrylic, oil, ink and charcoal. After graduating from the Claude Watson Arts Program at Earl Haig Secondary School, she now attends the University of Guelph and is completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art and Psychology.