Nayaab Malik
Aberdeen, Scotland

Artist statement

Captivated by the daily battles that healthcare staff face at work, I aimed to depict the varied emotions that doctors experience on a routine basis. Each of my three canvases represents a distinct aspect of a surgeon’s emotional voyage. The first displays a doctor that has had to deliver a particularly difficult diagnosis to a patient. The second, presented as a flipbook, takes inspiration from expressionist artists like Van Gogh and Edvard Munch in showing a doctor’s layers of emotion beneath the cheer that meets the eye. The last expresses overwhelming grief at the loss of a patient.

In sketching the different sections, I decided to use a mixed-media approach. The vibrancy of acrylic paints and oil pastels aligned with my project aims, using bold and perky colors on black backgrounds to emphasize the heavy, negative emotions of the subject. I wanted the audience to be immersed in the idea that what we see is often far from the truth. Flowers are an object of daily life that have the unique ability to evoke diverse emotions, and sunflowers add to the illusion that the individual is content.

Surgeon’s Sorrow (click an image to view)
Mixed Media 3 x A2 canvas