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Yiriane Kahn

"Art has let me discover a place where I can express things I can't see but I can feel. That's what I think," Yiriane Maria Kahn Tejada says. "I was born January 21, 1985 in the Dominican Republic, but we moved to Lima when I was only two. I'm almost Peruvian. My mother, Yira Kahn, is Dominican and is also a Novica-featured artisan. My Father, Frances, was raised in Argentina. They brought me to Peru and liked it very much, so they decided to stay here for the rest of their lives.

"From the time I was a child, I liked art – drawing and painting. My parents were always trying to get me to take classes in other areas, but that wasn't what I wanted and I always dropped out. When I was seven, I made up my mind and told them that I wanted a class in painting. They thought I'd just drop out, but no. To the contrary, this was what awakened a real drive within me and I still haven't put down my paintbrushes.

"I am currently majoring in painting at the Universidad Católica del Perú. I'm so proud to be able to exhibit my art, even though I'm still a student. Perhaps that's why I put a special effort and dedication into my works and have won a number of awards in the three years I've been in school.

"It's difficult to put into words the growth and development I have experienced as a painter, but my work speaks for itself. What I am trying to achieve is to express my interior world and the labyrinth it contains.

"As a part of this process, I have tried to bring out the things inside, take them outside – the conscious and the subconscious. My objective is to gain more self awareness and understanding. The theme of my work is a kind of internal investigation, demonstrated with different sensations and feelings that come to life with the changes and interplay of line and color.

"I've been influenced by the world around me. My mother has always been a source of inspiration because she gives me strength so that my emotions can flow; besides loving me in every way, she has let me be myself and create.

"Apart from the mixed feelings that are also a source of inspiration in my work, the blend of cultures in me and that surround me also play a role in my canvases.

"Art is my passion – one of the things I like best in life. My work varies from wire sculptures to painting and its meaning, using symbols like simple eyes that will always be around us. Or the interior of a circus where the characters may be clowns trying to make the people smile while deep inside, they may be very sad…."