Landscapes of Loss – a painting exhibition by Asifa Khan

Second year visual art student Asifa Khan’s painting and photography show Landscapes of Loss: Havens and Devastation in the Ecosystems of Trinidad and Tobagofocuses on the impact of contemporary climate-change on the twin tropical islands. The artist’s work explores the ecological landscapes of the country where she was born and has lived for most of her life. Many of these spaces have been drastically altered in recent years due to changing weather patterns and man-made transformations in the environment.
While Trinidad and Tobago have been framed most often in contemporary media culture as prime tourist destinations and showcased for their pristine beaches, lively festivals, and regional cuisine, Khan’s work reveals the hidden dimensions of the landscape in the mountain ranges and forests frequently overlooked by both visitors and citizens alike. By addressing this blindness to both natural beauty and the grave dangers it now faces, she seeks to trace out new zones of visibility and to raise awareness on many different levels.
The show will consist of both paintings and photographs. While the photographs will serve primarily to document the devastating changes, the paintings will both present and lament a vanishing beauty. Through alternating perspectives of proximity and distance, Landscapes of Loss will memorialize and mourn landscapes whose radiance may be erased in an instant.
Gallery Hours:
Monday to Friday, 10:30am – 4pm
Admission is free and all are welcome.