Zulfi Alarakhia — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

May 5

May 5 Zulfi Alarakhia

Biography

Zulf rekindled his love for Art in 2013 after a good friend posted a mural on his Facebook page. This spawned Zulf to start creating again after over 20 years of suppression, he started making little space paintings with spray paint in the summer of 2013. When the winter months drew in and finding it to cold to be paint outside Zulf then turned his hand to graphite and colour pencils. He would then start drawing portraits and eye studies on a small scale, after wanting to create on a much bigger scale he new pencils were not going to be sufficient enough, so he started use Acrylic and oil paint. He would lay down vibrant abstract colours then paint the portraits over the top with black oils, always trying new techniques to find his own unique style.
After years and countless hours of practice and dedication Zulf has found his style and now paints his portraits on black canvas.

Artist Statement

I create my portraits in a simple but realistic manner but also with an abstract element, almost as if I were deconstructing them. I like to portray the women I paint as warriors, to show that they are stronger than they believe. I show there power and grace with face markings and textures. I want women to feel empowerment and that shows through in my work.

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

Since a very young age I was always creative but as I matured and starting working I lost my way. 8 years ago a good friend of mine posted a mural on his Facebook book page and that spawned my love for creating Art again, I like to bring happiness to people with my creations that's what drives me.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I am most definitely a Contemporary portrait Artist, I love painting emotions and i mostly paint women.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

I want my work to be felt not just by the visual experience but to feel it inside. To look at my Art and not even realise what is happening as the viewer is overcome with emotion. I want people to be drawn in so deep that they just can't halt themselves from looking.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

I can be very spontaneous with my work like, I never sketch out an idea. I search for the right reference which can sometimes take hours, I get a rough idea in my head of how I want a piece to look .. I then put paint to canvas and because of being spontaneous, most of the time beautiful mistakes happen.

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

The search, searching for the right reference, knowing once I have found what I am looking for and visualising how it's going to look like in my style. I love getting the pallet knife out and adding my abstract textures.

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

I love painting women and most recently I have been creating warriors. I paint women with markings on their faces to show their inner strengths yet there's a gratefulness to them. My Mum is one of my biggest influences in my work because of what she has been through in her life yet she still stands Strong.

What I love about my Art journey is, I never know where it's going to take me and I find that beautiful, what I will say is, I will continue to evolve my current style and hope to one day put on an Exhibition so everyone can view my Art in the flesh..

Instagram https://instagram.com/iamzulf?igshid=14r2001pn8d9o