ART FOCUS - from studio to gallery

This month we highlight the work of Iranian-American artist Fatemeh Burnes.

Artist Spotlight

The Visual Poetry of Fatemeh Burnes

Meeting the Rabbit, 2016-2018, 144 x 72"

Guided by spontaneity, an intrinsic impulse to experiment and discover, the work of Fatemeh Burnes feels as vividly personal as it is socioculturally complex.

Based in Los Angeles, Burnes just moved her studio to the Brewery Complex, which recently hosted its bi-annual Art Walk. Working in painting and photography, Burnes forges a distinct, rich style within each medium. This is one of the unique qualities of her practice. Each material communicates a variant aspect of her fluid, playful artistic exploration.

Classically trained in Persian art and verse, as well as modern Persian poetry, biology, and western art practice, Burnes composes her own kind of visual balladry. Whether photographic or painted, her pieces read like poems. Kaleidoscopic sonnets, dazzling in their conceptual radiance.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Goddess of Discord, 2023, Oil, handmade paper, and spray paint on canvas, 72 x 96"

We asked Fatemeh to share a bit about her studio practice, creative vision, and the driving force behind her work.

Gain some insight into the material and conceptual complexity of Burnes's contemplative, surreal landscapes, in the artist's own words.

"As a painter, and in my work in photography and across media, I examine modern events and tragedies, both ecological and social, and their manifestations in contemporary life.

My work encompasses themes of displacement and hierarchical social structures through the elaborate interplay of contradictory elements. My vision is guided by a deep engagement with the force of nature and the history that shapes us.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

In my creative process, I lean towards subconscious associations, where perceptually recognizable and unrecognizable images coexist in surreal spaces. I playfully and symbolically use materials, layering to construct and deconstruct, cover and uncover, expose and transform time, space, and language.

The resulting visual poems feature intermingling opposites—order and chaos, reality and fantasy—struggling for parity and debating their interchangeability.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Playground, 2016-2018, Oil paint on canvas, triptych, 72 x 138" - Procured by Source Art for a client's Beverly Hills residence.

My painting and photographic series often mirror each other in their complexity and my approach to layering. In my photography practice, I have moved away from my traditional darkroom training, adopting several in-camera and digital techniques, including multiple exposure, scanning, digital editing, and light manipulation.

The process of solving challenges often becomes more engaging than the solutions themselves. My process involves exploring phenomena, whether occurring in the world, in my dreams, in my thoughts, or as tangible as rocks on the ground." - Fatemeh Burnes

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Chronicling narratives of fantastical spaces where the ordered concepts dictating our world are in flux, Burnes creates spheres of total freedom. Spaces where personal narratives refashion themselves into an ideology of connection and commonality. An embodiment of human experience through a striking, surreal prose.

Since the 1980s, Burnes has exhibited her work extensively, both nationally and internationally, curated over 100 exhibitions at Mt. San Antonio College, and authored numerous publications.

Burnes has taught fine arts, design, and art history at California State University Fullerton, the Art Institute of Southern California, Saddleback College, Fullerton College, and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Search out more of Fatemeh Burnes's work on our website sourceart

Comments

UPLIFTING COMMUNITY - resources for healing and support

We hold all those impacted by the fires in our hearts. If you are an artist, designer, or collector experiencing loss, we are here to support you. Through such heartbreaking devastation, we are witnessing the arts community come together, a beacon of hope demonstrating what we can do for each other in such challenging times. Donate directly to LA Artists and Art workers here _____________________________________________________________________________________ Mourning loss and looking to rebuild Alec Egan, Night Setting, 2025 Archival Pigment Print on Sunset Hot Press Rag 310g, 16 1/2 x 24 inches, edition of 200 We would like to take the time to acknowledge some of the artists and art workers in our community who've lost their studio, home, livelihood, and life's work in these fires. If you are one of those impacted, please search our resources here . To view a working list of the artists impacted, along with testimonials of their experience and links to their individual fun...

ART FOCUS - Homage to a Lost Icon

This month we celebrate the life and work of Mel Bochner, the trailblazing Conceptual Artist whose pictorial and theoretical legacy will challenge and inspire artists now and for generations to come. Tribute to Mel Bochner 1940 - 2025 Image of Bochner in his studio, photo courtesy Kyle Knodell Mel Bochner is recognized as one of the leading figures in the development of Conceptual art in New York in the 1960s and 1970s. Emerging at a time when painting was increasingly discussed as outmoded, Bochner became part of a new generation of artists - including Eva Hesse, Donald Judd, and Robert Smithson - who broke away from Abstract Expressionism and traditional compositional devices, radically reimagining visual art. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Through a series of provocations into art-making, Bochner transformed our current definition of art itself. Most famously, he pushed the boundaries of material convention with his question, ...

ART FOCUS - highlights and happenings

In the wake of immeasurable loss, artists and galleries are looking to upcoming fairs and openings as a site for instilling hope, bolstering community, and inviting blossoming possibilities. Art Fairs this February Art Fairs are hubs for celebration and sustenance within the art community. As Los Angeles faces immense devastation from the fires, their continuation becomes a vital source of hope. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Frieze Los Angeles February 20th - 23rd Image from the showroom floor of Frieze The sixth edition of Frieze returns to Santa Monica Airport, featuring a roster of international galleries, an expansive program of ambitious installations, and collaborations with nonprofit organizations. As a founding contributor to the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, Frieze LA continued only after careful consideration of those affected by the devastating wildfires and specific calls from the art world. A recent statement f...

ART FOCUS - intersection of art & design

This month, we would like to highlight two major design events happening in the LA area: the Pasadena Showcase House of Design and the newly expanded LAlegends (previously LCDQ, now Design Los Angeles). Source Art will be participating and showcasing the enhancement of interior design through perfectly suited and significant art. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Design Los Angeles - LA Legends May 5th - 8th, 2025 Starting with a launch party Monday night and continuing with a diverse series of discussions that provide new perspectives on design with the industry’s leading talent, Tuesday through Thursday, Design LA will also activate showrooms across the city through exclusive events. Panel discussion at The Luxury Kitchen during LCDQ 2024, curation by Source Art. Legends Window in collaboration with Marbé Design. After 15 years as the La Cienega Design Quarter (LCDQ), Los Angeles’ renowned design district has embraced an ambitious t...

ART FOCUS - Uooors Art Collective presents Convergence

Convergence is multidimensional exhibition, comprised of many voices in vibrant dialogue. From introspective meditations to cultural critique, this dynamic exhibition explores diverse ways contemporary creators convey their experience of the world. Each artist’s work – rooted in personal vision yet universally resonant – illuminates our broader humanity. Curated by MaryLinda Moss with Neal Taylor and exhibition advisor Fatemeh Burnes, in collaboration with Source Art. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Uooors Art Collective presents CONVERGENCE A multidimensional group exhibition launching the new project space ECHOLAB LA | 2511 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles On view through June 7 | Open Thurs–Sat, 2–6 pm & by appointment Installation image of the exhibition on view Special Programming on Saturdays May 31: 3 pm | Artist Panel moderated by Art Critic, Lita Barrie Uooors members and invited artists discuss how their creative practice...

Source Art Focus

Search This Blog