By Pauline Odhiambo
Moving to a new country isn't just about experiencing and adapting to alien surroundings, a different culture, and a new way of life. For a child, it can be an overwhelming journey filled with uncertainties and challenges.
Sabina Silver's relocation from Ghana to the UK at the age of 10 was more than a geographical transition— it left her feeling so vulnerable in unfamiliar surroundings that she suddenly lost her ability to speak.
“Other kids might have been excited about exploring a new place, but I experienced an emotional upheaval. I had no words to explain how I was feeling, so I just stopped speaking and shrunk deeper into myself," she recounts to TRT Afrika.
Painting became the magic art of eloquence that helped make up for what she couldn't convey verbally.
Years later, Sabina would capture the emotions of that experience on canvas, using her expressionist-figurative art to communicate her feelings of loss and separation.
"Now that I have the tools to explain it, I know that I certainly felt a loss of identity. I was fearful and confused by being in a place where not many people looked like me," she explains.
Art as therapy
If art didn't provide her succour, Sabina shudders to think how she could have survived the silent torment of those childhood years.
"Painting gave me back my voice and became a way to therapeutically express my emotions. It helped me mourn the loss of who I thought I was going to be and make peace with who I am," the artist tells TRT Afrika.
Her expressionist style seeks to depict what the world feels rather than how it looks. The goal is to communicate meaning or emotional experience rather than creating a precise likeness of their models.
Figurative art, on the other hand, refers to any form of modern art that retains strong references to the real world, especially to the human condition.
Sabina's painting "Poppies of Memory" is a reflection of her experience of migration. It also examines the intersection of collective memory and individual identity, while drawing on themes of loss, cultural heritage and generational experience.
In the painting, the female subject is surrounded by vibrant poppies that symbolise remembrance and resilience.
"I can now name the things that make me feel uncomfortable and have conversations about them through my artworks," says Sabina, who is currently based in the Netherlands.
Cultural expression
"Poppies of Memory" also informs Sabina's ongoing exploration of red, a prominent feature of her canvases.
"In Ghana, when it's a mourning period, people wear black, red and white in a show of respect for the dead. If the person dies young, red can be worn as an expression of anger over the loss of life," the self-taught artist explains. "I tend to use red with white, which is worn in celebration of life."
Sabina used a special ink for her painting titled "The Ancestors Watch Over Us" to create a stippling effect.
Although the end result was not what she had envisioned, the artwork featuring a child muse is nonetheless profound.
"I paint children often because I feel their voices are not heard enough. Many of the adults I have spoken to are still dealing with issues that stem from childhood trauma," says Sabina.
Her painting "Eyes That Measure" evaluates the impact of the male gaze. It depicts a man with his eyes glazed over as he stares into the distance.
"The male gaze is one of those things that connect women across cultures. How they see themselves being looked at is the genesis of a discussion on unwanted attention and its impact on both sexes," says Sabina.
Mirror for youth
Many of Sabina's artworks capture the aspirations of young people.
Her painting "Accra Boga" communicates the desire for a better life, representing scores of young Ghanaians who move from the hinterland to the capital, Accra, in search of jobs that can elevate their social and economic status.
"In my traditional language, Boga means 'a rich uncle' or, in general, someone who perhaps earns well. This painting captures the spirit of wanting from life while making the most out of the immediately available resources," she explains.
Similarly, her artwork titled "Cerulean Skies" explores the evolution of individual perspectives, based on experience.
"Whether good or bad, we are shaped by our experiences, and that decides how we view the world.
In this painting, the subject's eyes are blue in reflection of the world around her, which is of the same colour," she says.
Despite her challenges as an artist, Sabina has built a following that ensures her artworks sell for thousands of dollars in the international market.
She stays motivated by the awareness that her creativity has the power to cultivate spaces where a new crop of artists can express themselves freely.
Her advice to aspiring artists reflects this philosophy. "If you have got the talent and passion for art, and believe you have something to offer, please share it. Don't hold back."
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