Artwork and artist’s statement by Natasha Tareen

This piece was originally published in ‘Memento Mori’, Bossy’s 2021 print edition.

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Natasha Tareen is a self-taught artist who uses oil paint as her main medium. She is concerned with the
emotions which constitute the human condition, portraying these essential emotions across a range of human subjects.

When Natasha Tareen set out to create this portrait, it was intended to depict somebody else. However, as the painting developed, it turned into what seemed to be more a mirror of herself. This painting was created at a time when Tareen felt silenced due to familial pressures. The obscuration of the artist’s own face reflects the loss of identity one might incur when they are unable to express themselves due to social pressures, including those imposed by one’s family. Tareen’s painting reminds us that when our voices are silenced, we are at risk of losing ourselves.