Description
‘Left Me Breathless from Fruitless Worship and Stale Longing’ by Niky Motekallem
Artist: Niky Motekallem
Title: ‘Left Me Breathless from Fruitless Worship and Stale Longing’
Medium: Gouache and Pencil
Dimensions: 14.5″ x 17.5″ (including frame)
Framing: Framed in Wooden Antique Gilt Frame (frame has glass, which has been removed for photos to avoid glare)
Year of Creation: 2019
About the Artwork:
“This piece is pared with a small excerpt from a poem I wrote. ‘I want blessings, not a curse. He’s left me breathless from fruitless worship and stale longing. Even visions of a choir can’t console me.’ The piece is about several things. It’s about overcoming mental health issues like anxiety and depression. I made this as a way of acknowledging that these problems are a part of me, but do not define me. The painting is also about how we are always changing from one shape to another. How matter is alchemized through the cycle of rebirth and death until atoms find a new body to belong to.” – Niky Motekallem
About the Artist:
Niky Motekallem is a MFA Illustration graduate from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, originally from Ohio. She now lives in the Twin Cities.She depicts flora and fauna in beautiful decay. Death isn’t the end in her narrative. But rather a cycle of matter and energy. Sometimes Niky will write and illustrate eerie stories or occasionally indulge in fanart. When she isn’t working in the studio, Niky is snuggling cats, drinking all the tea, exploring antique shops, walking through forests for floral bouquets, figure skating, and watching silly volleyball anime.