Alyson Khan
Artist Statement
My work is about the suspension of reason or rationality as one might experience in ceremony, dance, or theatrics—an agreement to open one’s self to transcendence, the realization of fantasy, the acceptance of the tragic, absurd or paradoxical. Often aided by costume, mask, or symbols, these states of mind allow us to edge closer to a shared soulspeak, and in doing so we are changed and healed.
My paintings include hints of two-dimensional icons, stained glass windows, ceremonial objects, carnivalesque paraphernalia, dressmaker pattern pieces, and carefully designed altars. A final piece may resemble a long built-upon place of gathering, a strange alchemical device, a crude vessel, a protector, a fortune teller, or a shamanic robe–all of which shepherd the process of transformation.
I am further inspired by the decadence of Art Deco; the hope and efficiency of Mid-Century aesthetics; the joining of texture, light and comfort in interior design; the riotous maximalism in haute couture; the rawness of tribal mark making; and the implied doorway to the unseen in esoteric symbology. I also enjoy conducting deep investigations into color and its role as a visual phenomenon and catalyst for sparking feeling and narrative.
Artist Bio
My early forays into making began in 1996 and included sewing, collage, assemblage, and mixed media—essentially simplified joinings of hard edges of color, shape and texture. Working with humble, found materials, I sewed record bags for local DJs out of upholstery remnants; made collages out of huge pieces of painted vinyl wallpaper, and glued together wood wall sculptures out of off-cuts scavenged from construction sites. My first paintings were actually made on giant shards of glass from a shattered pastry case and vintage windows—the glass being my first teacher as it allowed for extensive experimentation. My self-taught methodology reflects my math-mindedness and writing background, as I use an underlying grid structure to anchor the ethereality, and often work with many layers that are edited, re-edited and fine-tuned.
Through an intense spiritual retreat in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains of Colorado in 2005, I learned a way to hold space for healing that ultimately sparked the turning point in my work a decade later. In 2015, when foundational elements of my life were crumbling, painting became a scaffold for making sense of my life as well as a ground for practicing radical acceptance. Now I understand that I work to meld the conceptual, visual, and spiritual influences described above ignited by emotional themes. Union, bridging seemingly impossible parts of our lives, mending our brokenness, and the ways we visit the abyss and emerge from it with treasures are some of the universal motifs I approach.
Selected Exhibitions
Selected Exhibitions
2020
Moberg Gallery “CONTEMPORARY WOMEN PAINT: ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONS” (Des Moines, IA)
2019
Salon Art + Design Fair at the Park Ave Armory with Cristina Grajales Gallery (NYC)
”Encounters” @ Cristina Grajales Gallery (NYC)
curated by Stephanie Ingrassia
(Exhibition Press: Architectural Digest || Pinup Magazine)
Space Gallery – Beyond the Framework – Denver, CO
✳ Space Gallery 360 Tour ✳
2018
The Art Project, Denver, CO
2017
Denver Designer Showhouse, Denver, CO
Amsterdam Kimpton – “Corridors” project
2016
Artwork Network – “Entice” Group Show, Denver, CO
2013
Denver Designer Show House, Denver, CO
2012
Space Gallery – 11 Year Retrospective Group Show, Denver, CO
2000-2011
New Denver Civic Theater Gallery – Light & Milky*, Denver, CO
CORE – The Abstract Show (Juried Show), Denver, CO
Space Gallery – Aiming for the Seam, Denver, CO
Revoluciones Collective Art Space – Head Rest, Denver, CO
Rattlebrain Theater Gallery – Acts of Devotion*, Denver, CO
Chance Operations Gallery – (Group Show), Denver, CO
Space Gallery – Strung up after the Circus, Denver, CO
23rd Avenue Sculpture Gallery – Group Show, Denver, CO
Arts on Vine – New Visions Through Old Windows*, Denver, CO
Soulsciety Collective Art Space – Group Show, Denver, CO
Revoluciones Collective Art Space – Group Show, Denver, CO
Education
BA – University of Colorado, Denver CO (1998)
Non-degree classes – Art Students League, Denver CO (2000)
Certified Yoga & Meditation Instructor – Crestone Healing Arts Center, Crestone CO (2006)
Commissions
VIDA Design (Portland, OR) – Public space, luxury condos (CA)
Art Advisory Services (Vail CO) – Hotel lobby, Tea Room for hotel Macau, China
Wilkinson Law (Denver CO) – Conference Room
Kalisher (Durham NC) – Cleveland Pinecrest Public Space
Metropolitan Gallery (Austin TX) – Suites on Third Lobby, Champaign IL
VAIN Salon (Denver CO) – Reception area
Rattlebrain Theater (Denver CO) – Stage art
Giving Back
Urban Peak, Denver Designer Showhouse (Benefit for Children’s Hospital), Lenah Deney Silent Auction, PBS, Lukemia / Lymphoma, PACE, Denver Cooperative Preschool, Habitat for Humanity, ArtReach Denver; Art related projects and classroom volunteer: Stanley British Primary School, Bromwell Elementary School, Denver Cooperative Preschool, St. Louis Catholic School
Publications
FLORA || FAUNA (Fall 2018)
5280 Home (Fall 2018)
Create! Magazine (Summer 2018)
Saatchi Art: Inside the Studio (Summer 2016)
Hommemaker Blog (Summer 2016)
Luxe Interiors (Spring 2016)
