Murphy pe Covor

About the Work

This work is an example of rejection within my own studio process. I started this painting in 2020 with the intent of using paint in a thin, looser manner, but found myself torn between stylistic choices as I built up the subject matter in a more opaque manner than originally planned. I got it to its current state in 2024 after long break, but consider it to be the first of a couple iterations.

About the Artist

Diana Antohe lives and works in New Orleans. Her practice involves drawing, painting and working with textiles. Antohe explores her familial legacy of migration from Romania by painting itinerant items in domestic spaces, elevating their presence as points of connection in her family history. Antohe’s works featured in this show demonstrate the potential of reworking pieces which the artist herself rejected. Antohe found herself unsatisfied with Murphy pe-covor, completing it after taking a long hiatus from the piece. Although the artist chose to exhibit Murphy in its current iteration, she does not consider this to be its final version. Inverted Redo and Veiled are both painted over earlier works. Collectively, these works and Antohe’s artistic process transform rejection into rebirth.