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Saatchi Art
inside the studio: alyson Khan (Aug 2016)

Inside the Studio Interview with Alyson Khan

What are the major themes you pursue in your work?

I am inspired and influenced by visual opposites: the clean lines of mid-century design and tribal art, hard-edged geometric textiles and raw and primitive gestural marks. And while I’m not religious at all, also in the mix is this attraction to two-dimensional icons and occult symbols, rustic chapels, and altars. I am searching for a satisfying union of these visual influences while aiming to work my paintings into something that has the same feeling as you might achieve in meditation, revelation or long awaited resolve. I’ve tagged my work “Present Primitive” because the term seems befitting.

I often start a canvas with intentional asemic writing or a simple shape from a previous canvas. These original marks commonly do not survive the entire process of the painting because they are covered over as the composition evolves. But these “seeds” are important to acknowledge for their power to initiate the mark making.

The under-layers of shapes and brushwork are all significant and necessary in realizing the final painting. They map the way. This process mirrors life in that we often don’t know why we are going through what we are going through until it all comes together much later when we understand that the twists and turns were sign posts pointing us to the right place…and then we get moving again…

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

I often revisit this quote from Agnes Martin: “All of your inspirations will be related to your particular potential.”

It’s so reassuring and true because I see over time, and especially since I have been painting for quite a stretch now, that the images, ideas, emotions, people and places that inspire me always somehow show up in my work. And I also trust that inspiration is a power that purposefully propels us toward our potential.

Prefer to work with music or in silence?

I prefer to work with music and it varies depending on the vibe I am going for. I love soulful, bassy, mellow tracks, raw and strange stuff, as well as Latin and Brazilian influenced jams. If it carries me, I go with it. My more recent selections include Movement, Ariel Pink, Jungle, Jun Miyake, Rhye, Mac Demarco, We are Wolves, Tame Impala, Stan Getz, Santigold…to name a few. Sometimes I put on a Giles Peterson Worldwide mix and see where that takes me. I DJ-ed for several years when I was younger so I’m a bit of an audiophile.

If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?

That’s a really tough question to answer, but I think it would be incredible to own a piece by Louise Nevelson. While the thought is daunting to actually live with one of her assemblages such as “Dawn’s Wedding Chapel,” I feel like I could deeply appreciate the essence and transformative nature her work could bring.

Who are your favorite writers?

Thomas Moore, Herman Hess, Joseph Campbell, Agnes Martin, Paul Bowles, Annie Dillard, Bohumil Hrabal. I love reading about the nuances of the human spirit and also like to savor lyrical, well-executed and precise writing