In the modern world, our opposition to nature has rendered our relationship to it stagnate, a state in which inactivity presents itself and dualism entraps our understanding of interconnectedness to the grounds we stand on. What becomes of our relationship with land when we attempt to separate ourselves? Through recollection and acknowledgement of those who came before us, we recognize the environment as not as a sundered entity, but as our kin.

In a series of figurative paintings, artist Samara Couri’s delicate brushstrokes allow for a seamless blend of background onto subject. Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, Couri’s active participation in dissolving these boundaries come from the Hawaiian belief that we are intertwined to setting and our energies continuously flow onto each other. Memory is not only present in humanity but can also be felt within the landscapes we encounter. In her works, the artist’s intuitive approach escapes rigidness allowing the active site to become an extension of experience and a resource for cultural remembrance.

Texture emerges from oil on canvas as rays of sunlight cascade over bodies alluding to movement and transformation. Within the meditative expression of the figures, comes acceptance and an emphasis on the bond strengthen when the two intertwine. Born from intention, Couri’s paintings permeate ancestral ties to the earth as a living system and honors the symbolic reliance built between human and mother nature.