Catherine Jaftha at Pinchman’s

Artist’s Statement

Domestic spaces provide a rich landscape for dissecting the inner worlds of the people who inhabit them. They are narratives, self-portraits, highly revelatory, in the most nuanced of ways. This series of interior and still life paintings express my pride in homeownership and embraces joy as an alternative to the fetishization and commodification of the traumas of racialized and marginalized people. This is my portrayal of the sublimeness I often encounter while engaged in mundane pursuits, which is a spiritual, meditative act. Whether it’s my relationship with my 80-year-old house, or a space I’ve encountered while traveling, these all inspire my artistic practice.

I’ve drawn inspiration from post-Impressionist Pierre Bonnard, whose intimate, often erotic interior narratives captured me, as well as Kenyan-born Wangari Mathenge, who centers relaxed, contemplative black women in her interiors. I pendulate between oils and watercolours depending on the subject and mood, but colour is the primary element utilized to convey my delight in aesthetic.

Artist Biography

Catherine Jaftha is a mixed-media artist, poet and educator based out of Northern Ontario. She has shown in solo exhibitions at the WKP Kennedy Gallery in North Bay and has participated in several group exhibitions in Toronto.

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