Saba Giani
Whose work are you loving these days?
I love the work of Swedish painter Mamma Andersson for her sensitive and sometimes absurd world. As well as Lois Dodd, Gillian Carnegie, Tala Madani and Lucy Mckenzie. I like to look at many different works from painting history and it’s difficult to pick names as I like to revisit them over and over again like old friends.
What is a typical day in the studio like for you?
I spend days without making anything, just playing with the objects that are sitting around in my studio. These objects include architectural models I have made, bits of textile I like to collect as well as old photographs. Before beginning a painting I spend a lot of time thinking and preparing the way an actor would rehearse a performance. When I start working on paintings I am very focused, working quite fast with unwavering attention. I often listen to the same song on repeat in order to avoid distractions and generate a trance state. Part of the work happens outside of the studio after I leave as I look back at what I did during the day and decide on the next moves.
Your practice in 5 #
#POV
#Interior
#Psychologicalspaces
#Perspective
#Displacement
What’s on your mind?
The next painting.
What’s your dream project?
It’s a project I’m currently working towards which is to present works in my hometown Tehran that I haven’t visited for over twenty years. It’s based on a stack of photographs I have from the time just before leaving. These are photographs of my family home and the places I used to visit as a child. I remember distinctly when I held a camera for the first time I was so amused that I documented everything around me. Naturally, there are many haphazard photos of walls and ceilings but I like to spend time with them since they are the few objects I have from my childhood. It works as a way of reawakening those memories for me.
Saba lives and works between London and Toronto.
March 2022
