IMAGE DETAILS

rodolphe janssen

Sanam Khatibi (Belgian with Iranian heritage, 1979)
A few more crimes, 2018
Oil, pastel and pencil on panel
24 x 31 cm

Sanam Khatibi (b. 1979, Belgium, of Iranian heritage) is a Belgian artist whose multifaceted practice spans painting, tapestry, sculpture, and installation. Based between Brussels and Paris, Khatibi’s work explores the delicate and complex balance between beauty, violence, and vulnerability. Her practice engages with themes of human imperfection, the tension between domination and submission, and the chaotic forces that shape our lives. Through a distinctive use of color and form, she draws attention to the fragility of the human experience and the unspoken violence that often lies beneath surface appearances.

In her work, Khatibi delves into the darker aspects of human nature, exploring our struggles with excess, control, and the breakdown of social and moral boundaries. These explorations are framed in landscapes that juxtapose natural beauty with underlying violence and destruction, invoking a timeless tension between civilization and primal instincts. Her figures -whether human, animal, or mythical-are often presented as fragile, vulnerable, and engaged in various states of conflict, emphasizing the stark realities of human survival and the consequences of unchecked desire.

These small-scale vanitas paintings from the 'murders serie' are introspective works, conceived as protection charms, invite the viewer into an intimate reflection on life's transience and human vulnerability.