Khokhar’s Artwork Exhibited at Heckscher Museum
Tateana Khokhar is a gifted artist with remarkable potential. The Huntington High School freshman has been working closely with graphic arts teacher Kasmira Mohanty and the results are winning rave reviews.
One of Ms. Khokhar’s fascinating pieces was selected for the Long Island’s Best exhibit at the Heckscher Museum of Art. The teenager’s art is thought-provoking and visually stunning. She has grown by leaps and bounds as an artist and her work is attracting a loyal following.
“Looking at Esphyr Slobodkina’s work East River, I was intrigued with the concept of taking random objects and combining them into something new,” Ms. Khokhar said in an artist’s statement that accompanies her work at the Heckscher Museum. “I appreciate how she was able to see the lines and shapes of a sail boat in objects that have no direct relationship with one. For my artwork I decided to go in the opposite direction and create a deconstructed abstract 2d version of her work. This decision was also made in part based on my interest in the exploded skulls created by Ryan Matthew Cohn from the show Oddities. With the aid of Illustrator and Photoshop, I separated and rearranged the parts to form a new composition. Paying homage to Slobodkina’s work I converted my 2D shapes into 3D.”
A widely popular abstract artist, illustrator and author, Ms. Slobodkina was born in Siberia, Russia in 1908. In the midst of the 1917 Russian Revolution, she emigrated to China with her family, studying architecture and art there. She came to America in 1927 and went on to study at the National Academy of Design in New York City. Her most famous work was the classic 1938 children’s book, Caps for Sale. She later lived in Glen Head and gifted many of her works to the Heckscher Museum. The artist passed away in 2002 at age 93.
The Long Island’s Best exhibit enjoyed a one month run through last Sunday. Art lovers were impressed with Ms. Khokhar’s fascinating artwork. With three more years of high school ahead of her, the current freshman seems assured of making a repeat appearance at The Heckscher Museum.
According to its website, The Heckscher Museum of Art was founded in 1920 by industrialist August Heckscher. The collection is devoted to 19th and 20th century European and American art. In addition, the Museum owns and maintains the Dove/Torr cottage, the home of famed American artist Arthur Dove and his artist-wife Helen Torr. Visit www.heckscher.org or call 351-3250 for more information.