""For me, it always starts with joy," explains Aunia Kahn."
""That playfulness led me straight back to my roots, to growing up in Michigan and spending time in Canada, to the German and Polish folk art that filled my grandparents' home," she says. "I realized that world of bold color, rich pattern, and maximalist symbolism had already shaped my home, my wardrobe, and the way I moved through life. My art just needed to catch up.""
Aunia Kahn is a Detroit-based artist whose work begins with joy. She uses gouache, pastels, pencils, and gold ink to produce rich, velvety portraits that blend folk art patterns, surrealist themes, and celestial iconography. Reclaiming play in the creative process catalyzed a return to making after a loss of joy caused by life-threatening health challenges. Playfulness prompted reconnection with roots: growing up in Michigan, time in Canada, and German and Polish folk art from her grandparents' home. Bold color, rich pattern, and maximalist symbolism shaped personal aesthetics and movement through life. Kahn co-owns Poetic Tiger Gallery and edits Hyperlux Magazine; more work appears on her website and Instagram.
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