Neighbourhood Watch

“Art should come from an unconscious mind”- Joan Miro

Isolation for many has become a time of self-reflection and a momentary period to stop, look around and appreciate the here and now. Zara Tisma’s latest body of work embodies just that, drawing inspiration from the surrounding countryside and the neighbouring houses on her street.

Tisma’s work captures the energy of a suburban housing estate but highlights the appreciation for moments of stillness through carefully considered blank spaces. Each of her drawings bear a narrative that relates to both the conscious and subconscious, illustrating drawings through observation layered with dynamic mark making to depict feelings of uncertainty and anguish. As a testimony to her love for the outdoors, she depicts the local countryside’s calming vocation through her purposefully simplistic drawings and juxtaposes this solace with the calculated, structured lines illustrated in the red brick houses on the estate where she is currently isolating. To complete each of her works, she signs off with her distinctive signature of expressive mark makings to convey the unprecedented emotions that she shares with the rest of the globe.

Drawing influence from the likes of Joan Miro, Jackson Pollock and Wassily Kandinsky, she has developed a distinctive style, paying homage to the iconic movements that have inspired her. Her drawings comprise of mark making layers using pencil, ink, pen and paint, with stubble nuances of colour.