Light of Soul

In Light of Soul, Avan Anwar explores ideas around rebirth and new beginnings through the symbol of the flower, usually associated with spring and new life. Yet over time, flowers are destined for decay. Nothing in life is permanent and durable but rather in constant change and renewal. Everything is moving towards the end, yet the end is a new beginning and life cyclically continues in this process.

Drawing upon the artist’s memories of relocating from Kurdistan to Australia, the Light of Soul installation is a response to the experience of identity crisis and displacement; of balancing emotions and internal agony with external circumstances. Each form of a flower represents an element of life reconciling past and present, establishing a new cultural identity through material expression.

Image: Avan Anwar. Installation view of The Light of Soul, 2017 (detail). Aluminum foil, string, and bulb light string. Dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist