Saif Azzuz
They tried to kill all the salmon (dam it)
Lot Closed
August 5, 06:05 PM GMT
Estimate
12,000 - 16,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Saif Azzuz
b. 1987
They tried to kill all the salmon (dam it)
Acrylic on canvas
60 by 45 by 2 in.
152.4 by 114.3 by 5.1 cm
Executed in 2022.
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Kindly donated by Saif Azzuz, on behalf of the artist, Anthony Meier and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
Saif Azzuz (b. 1987) is a Libyan-Yurok artist who resides in Pacifica, CA. Saif Azzuz's paintings straddle abstraction and surrealism in their sweeping use of color, sensual movement, and evocation of the natural world. The paintings are full and alive, pressing their power up to the very edges of the canvas, resisting their frames. The shapes he makes are like liquid leaves-stretching, reaching, pulling, pushing, almost vibrating with the cycles of the seasons. Azzuz uses a series of personal gestural marks and an iconography derived from the traditions and native land of his peoples. His work reflects the resilience of Indigenous cultures and the importance of a holistic connection with the land, while simultaneously confronting the history of colonialism and manifest destiny.
His work revolves around the de-contextualization of Yurok and Arab imagery. Starting with stories by, of, and for family members, Azzuz constructs spaces utilizing colorful ink and acrylic paint on tapestry-like canvas imbuing the work with the washy luminosity and gentle disquiet of dreams. The titles for his pieces are conversational and often include Yurok language, further highlighting traditional and contemporary culture side-by-side, and asserting Yurok people's deep, ongoing commitment to land stewardship. Through self-defined symbolism communicating ideas such as movement, energy and time, Azzuz works to acknowledge and validate generational trauma, resilience, land and story.
Working on canvas and paper with a variety of materials, and on recovered wood slabs, Azzuz uses a series of personal gestural marks and an iconography derived from the traditions and native land of his people. His work reflects the resilience of Indigenous cultures and the importance of a connection with the land, while simultaneously confronting the history of colonialism and Manifest Destiny.
He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Painting and Drawing from the California College of the Arts in 2013. Azzuz has exhibited widely in the Bay Area, including exhibitions at Anthony Meier Replica Handbags s, Pt.2 Gallery, Adobe Books, Ever Gold [Projects], NIAD, Rule Gallery and 1599dt Gallery and a forthcoming solo exhibition at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery in 2023.
Azzuz is a 2022 SFMOMA SECA Award finalist and has participated in the Clarion Alley Mural Project and the Facebook Artist in Residence program. Selected public collections include Rennie Museum, de Young Museum - Replica Handbags s Museums of San Francisco, Facebook, North Carolina Museum of Art, Stanford Health Care Art Collection and UBS Art Collection.
