Anita Kavochy's 'A line of thought' exhibition explores memory, resilience and renewal

Anita Kavochy delves into personal themes of movement, memory, grief, resilience and healing in her solo exhibition, A Line of Thought, which has been on view from July 15 to August 15 at Circle Art Gallery.

The exhibition features 13 mixed-media works created from acrylic, collage and reclaimed PVC carpets.

Working with worn, discarded carpets collected from homes, bars and other spaces, Kavochy upcycles damaged materials into layered abstract paintings that speak to memory and renewal.

Every carpet, she says, has traces of the lives that once stepped on it.

One of the works is A Memory II, an abstracted piece in black, white, grey and beige, with two small photographic portraits which add a personal element to the work.

'A Connection' is a minimalist piece with a white background and a blue, yellow, and black abstract figure at its centre.

Kavochy reveals that the exhibition emanated from a difficult time as she travelled regularly between Kiserian and Kibera to visit her children while caring for her ailing mother, who is now deceased.

"The routes that I passed through brought the concept of a line of thought. As I travelled, I was thinking about my life, my mother's illness and the experience of parenting. That's how lines became an important part of my work," she says.

Lines dominate her work, with expressive, overlapping and broken marks conveying abstraction and movement. She says the title reflects the many journeys and connections that shape everyday life, where each starting point leads to another story. By preserving holes and worn areas in reclaimed carpets, she allows their histories to remain visible.

Through patching and collage, Kavochy gives discarded materials new life, comparing the process to rebuilding after loss and hardship.

"The more a carpet is stepped on, the more memories it has. When I mend and layer it, I'm building a new life. It's similar to what happens to us. We experience damage, but we create new thoughts and paths."

Moreover, she used little colour, allowing materials such as carpets and grocery bags to retain their natural hues. She says creating the exhibition was challenging due to family responsibilities, travel, financial constraints and the loss of her mother, which interrupted her studio practice. She hopes viewers will bring their own experiences to the exhibition.

"I want people to find their own stories in the work in relation to what I want to say as an artist. I want them to experience the materials and the stories beneath them. They can continue the story where I leave it and find their own connection with the work," she says.