Artist Statement
RABIA KHARA, MA, MFT (Trainee) RDT (Trainee) PhD candidate

I have been painting and drawing since I was 10 years old. As I evolved through different developmental stages, so did my vision of the world. As a psychotherapist in training treating clients in a therapeutic setting and an individual with life experience spanning a few decades, I have been intimately involved with feelings of depression, anxiety and sense of isolation. I have always used expressive arts as a healing modality in my own work and as a cathartic experience to bring forth that which lay dormant in my mind. The pandemic brought a wave of destruction but with it, a glimmer of hope, for a change that might be intangible at first, but is deeply rooted in values that we hold dear to our heart. All my pieces represent an abstraction of those ideals and if they elicit a similar response from the viewer, I am beyond grateful for that.

Azure and Crimson
Rabia Khara
8×10 inches
Digital Art
2021

Suffocating Solitude
Rabia Khara
8×10 inches
Digital Art
2020

I’m a trained photographer and artist, I love playing with low key in photography since it adds romance, drama, narrative and a powerful emotion, if captured right. The image of the woman depicts solitude that is uninvited and unkind. The image depicts loneliness and sorrow but also a glimmer of hope in the light that casts a shadow on the woman.

Peace Lily
Rabia Khara
8×10 inches
Digital Art
2021

Taken on film and captured in black and white, the image resonates with me as an artist hoping for a utopia existence in this world. The message of peace and hope and everlasting love is what I want to evoke through my work. It may resonate differently for some who view it, but the premise behind it is goodness, peace and love.

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