This series is a visual exploration of memory and its inherent power to transform. The paintings were created over several years and have undergone a process of evolution—much like memory itself.
What began as bright, symbolic representations of distinct childhood moments became submerged beneath new layers of paint and meaning. I deliberately applied these later layers, partially obscuring the original narratives to create a palimpsest effect—where the old story continues to pulse beneath the surface.
For the viewer, these works invite discovery—an emotional excavation. Through calligraphic lines, fragments of text, and dark veils of colour, faces and silhouettes emerge—at once distant and piercingly familiar. Childhood Treasures are not frozen frames of the past, but a living dialogue between who we were and who we’ve become.
They invite pause and rediscovery—a quiet return to the sacred elements time tried to conceal, but could never erase.
What began as bright, symbolic representations of distinct childhood moments became submerged beneath new layers of paint and meaning. I deliberately applied these later layers, partially obscuring the original narratives to create a palimpsest effect—where the old story continues to pulse beneath the surface.
For the viewer, these works invite discovery—an emotional excavation. Through calligraphic lines, fragments of text, and dark veils of colour, faces and silhouettes emerge—at once distant and piercingly familiar. Childhood Treasures are not frozen frames of the past, but a living dialogue between who we were and who we’ve become.
They invite pause and rediscovery—a quiet return to the sacred elements time tried to conceal, but could never erase.
Works in this series
Enchanted
A$1,300.00
by Oxana Arefin
Acrylic on canvas
51 x 51 cm
2022
From the Childhood Treasures series, shaped by recollection and personal memory.
The Autumn Sun
A$1,500.00
by Oxana Arefin
Acrylic on canvas
61 x 61 cm
2022
From the Childhood Treasures series, shaped by recollection and personal memory.
View more of Oxana Arefin’s work
The Secret Garden
A$1,500.00
by Oxana Arefin
Acrylic on canvas
61 x 61 cm
2022
From the Childhood Treasures series, shaped by recollection and personal memory.
View more of Oxana Arefin’s work
Hide and Seek
A$1,700.00
by Oxana Arefin
Acrylic on canvas
76 x 61 cm
2022
From the Childhood Treasures series, shaped by recollection and personal memory.
View more of Oxana Arefin’s work