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Nostalgia and Dreams is a solo show of Zahra Mandana’s paintings.

229 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California

(formerly Pace Palo Alto)

September 23 - October 8, 2023

Everyday noon - 7 pm

Nostalgia and dreams… The nostalgia for a past I’m not sure even existed and the dreams of a tomorrow which may never come. The harsher the reality, the more delicate the artworks become, as if it’s the purpose of my art to soothe and heal the deepest wounds.

I dream of a world, where we live in peace with nature and with other creatures with whom we share our planet. In my life series, I painted that world. Each painting depicts a special women in my life, alongside animals who live around us, all calm and peaceful.

If we embrace the nature, the nature will take care of us.

When life gets hard or I get overwhelmed by outside world, I calm myself by making something beautiful. I love colorful flowers, so I paint papers colorfully, and cut petals out of them. Putting down the petals one by one is like meditation to me. When the painting is done, I always feel better.

When my dad got sick, I started to appreciate life in a new way. I knew intellectually how fleeting life was, but feeling that my time with him was almost up, made every moment we had together more precious. I painted a series named "Tree of life" with an old strong tree and two birds on its branches.