Maryam Yousif: anatomy and awkwardness
By Paul Breschuk
Lance Writer
July 9, 2008
 After recently graduating with a B.A. Honours in both Visual Arts and Communication Studies, Maryam Yousif is planning one last hurrah before leaving town in search of a Master’s degree.
In the intimate space of the Common Ground Art Gallery, her latest exhibition will feature hung canvasses, paintings, drawings, and crochet.
A celebration of bodily forms, her acrylics chart various states of mutation.
In some works, the deformity seems welcomed and glorified whereas the hapless creature in Crossing the Desert with an Infected Leg is not as fortunate.
These figures, however, convey a sense of calm as they model under our scrutiny.
This is especially true with the nude of 10-Foot Banner: a diminutive, disarming, and charmingly awkward young woman.
She stands, smirking at the viewer, with arms slightly stretched.
Directly behind each hand is a radiating orb of creative energy, perhaps guiding her fingers to a nearby paintbrush.
LANCE: Could you describe your creative process by charting out the birth of a work from concept to canvas?
MARYAM YOUSIF: I could not chart out the process in specific steps, and that’s why I enjoy it. I do recognize habits and patterns but they’re not static. It’s almost like dreaming all the time… déjà vu.
L: In the past you’ve done much work with drawings/graphic art while this show focuses on paintings. How does this switch (from felt pens on paper to acrylics on canvas) affect the images and ideas you try to convey?
MY: It doesn’t affect it in that it’s a completely different experience. With painting, the body plays a stronger role, like a ninja or a wizard twirling his wand for some magic goodness. In that way, painting can be performative. The act of drawing has always been personal and intimate for me. The sensation of mind-hand connection is intense.
L: Your figurative works seem, primarily, to display lone anatomical forms while there is a distinct absence of non-living objects. What is behind your divorcing of the human body from the things of the outside world?
MY: I think I’m very sensitive to the language of the human body and its ability to express emotion. I can’t help but feel attracted to that awkward hopelessness. I can relate to it, and so it’s a way of trying to understand myself in relation to everything and everyone else. Therefore, to use an inanimate object to express that awkwardness is to admit defeat in searching for answers.
L: By moving your work from the private studio to the public gallery, you’ve made an attempt to place your art within the social sphere. In what other ways can artists show their work or make creative contributions to the community?
MY: That idea has already been expanded beyond the gallery walls. One example is graffiti. When it’s done well, it can be a contribution to the community. Also, the act of giving away works of art. I think it’s important to disassociate art from big money and the idea of investment so to be enjoyed completely and holistically.
L: Where will Maryam Yousif be in 10 years and what will she be doing?
MY: She hopes to continue her journey into the “rugged and raw.” She’ll be meeting her basic needs, feeding her chickens, completing books, and learning many languages as she plunges through the dusty atmosphere with love and harmonics.
Yousif’s exhibition, titled, I won’t use anything you’re not happy with. so I know it’s in your hands, may be seen at The Common Ground Art Gallery located within Mackenzie Hall, 3277 Sandwich St. It runs from July 23 to Aug 6.
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