Collected Memories 5

Sinejan’s mixed media paintings are an ode to the lived experiences of places that no article, photograph, or map can capture. Borders between two countries are never clear cut; languages become forgotten; some small towns cannot be reached by even mail, rendering it invisible. To parallel this constant process of unraveling, Sinejan erodes geographical boundaries on maps with stains of dirt, rust, spices, straw, and other materials collected from places she personally traveled to. She actually keeps glass jars of scrap metal on her studio cabinets that will one day turn into rust - a poetic process where even the most hardened, robust-looking materials eventually return to nature.