{"id":1780591,"date":"2026-02-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1780591"},"modified":"2026-02-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T21:00:00","slug":"aunia-kahns-lush-portraits-depict-a-playful-inner-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1780591","title":{"rendered":"Aunia Kahn\u2019s Lush Portraits Depict a Playful Inner Landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2161\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a folk-art inspired portrait by Aunia Kahn, depicting a woman with a floating head and a swan standing next to each other. floral and avian motifs pattern around the middle and out toward the borders of the piece.\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cRooted In The Language of Gilded Cages.\u201d All images \u00a9 Aunia Kahn, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Aunia Kahn\u2019s Lush Portraits Depict a Playful Inner Landscape<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-19T15:50:26-06:00\">February 19, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/jandres\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Jackie Andres<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F02%2Faunia-kahn-mixed-media-portraits%2F&amp;title=Aunia%20Kahn%27s%20Lush%20Portraits%20Depict%20a%20Playful%20Inner%20Landscape\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-pinterest has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F02%2Faunia-kahn-mixed-media-portraits%2F&amp;description=Aunia%20Kahn%27s%20Lush%20Portraits%20Depict%20a%20Playful%20Inner%20Landscape&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F02%2Fkahn-3-960x1297.jpg\" aria-label=\"Pin\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-Lb9IFh6b\" data-rl_title data-rl_caption title><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tPin\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#dfe0acaabdb5babcabe29eaab1b6befaedef94beb7b1faede8acfaedef93aaacb7faedef8fb0adabadbeb6abacfaedef9bbaafb6bcabfaedefbefaedef8fb3bea6b9aab3faedef96b1b1baadfaedef93beb1bbacbcbeafbaf9beb2afe4bdb0bba6e29eaab1b6befaedef94beb7b1faede8acfaedef93aaacb7faedef8fb0adabadbeb6abacfaedef9bbaafb6bcabfaedefbefaedef8fb3bea6b9aab3faedef96b1b1baadfaedef93beb1bbacbcbeafbafaedeffa9aedfae7effae6ebfaedefb7ababafacfaec9efaed99faed99a8a8a8f1abb7b6acb6acbcb0b3b0acacbeb3f1bcb0b2faed99edefede9faed99efedfaed99beaab1b6bef2b4beb7b1f2b2b6a7babbf2b2babbb6bef2afb0adabadbeb6abacfaed99\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"469888\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cFor me, it always starts with joy,\u201d explains <a href=\"https:\/\/auniakahn.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aunia Kahn<\/a>. The Detroit-based artist uses a handful of materials\u2014gouache, pastels, pencils, and gold ink\u2014to create rich, velvety portraits that evoke folk art patterns, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/surreal\/\">surrealist themes<\/a>, and celestial iconography.<\/p>\n<p>Reclaiming the importance of play in the creative process has been a powerful catalyst for Kahn, who had previously experienced a loss of joy in making amid life-threatening health challenges. \u201cThat 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\u2019 home,\u201d she says. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-2-960x766.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469888\" title=\"\u201cDissolved Into The Spirit That Outruns Fear\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cDissolved Into The Spirit That Outruns Fear\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cDissolved Into The Spirit That Outruns Fear\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"766\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-2-960x766.jpg\" alt=\"a folk-art inspired portrait by Aunia Kahn, depicting a red horse galloping against a star-filled sky. floral and avian motifs pattern around the middle and out toward the borders of the piece\" class=\"wp-image-469881\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cDissolved Into The Spirit That Outruns Fear\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When she\u2019s not in the studio, Kahn is busy curating exhibitions as the co-owner of <a href=\"https:\/\/poetictiger.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Poetic Tiger Gallery<\/a> and is Editor-in-Chief of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/poetictiger.com\/hyperlux-magazine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hyperlux Magazine<\/a><\/em>. Find more work on the artist\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/auniakahn.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>, and keep up with her many adventures on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/auniakahn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-7-960x1224.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469888\" title=\"\u201cWhere the Eye of the Heart Watches Over Every Living Thing\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cWhere the Eye of the Heart Watches Over Every Living Thing\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cWhere the Eye of the Heart Watches Over Every Living Thing\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"1224\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-7-960x1224.jpg\" alt=\"a folk-art inspired portrait by Aunia Kahn, depicting a woman holding a large heart with a singular eye in its center. floral and avian motifs pattern around the middle and out toward the borders of the piece.\" class=\"wp-image-469886\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cWhere the Eye of the Heart Watches Over Every Living Thing\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-6-960x1277.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469888\" title=\"\u201cWe Hold Every Goodbye in Our Body Like a Landscape\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cWe Hold Every Goodbye in Our Body Like a Landscape\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cWe Hold Every Goodbye in Our Body Like a Landscape\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"1277\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-6-960x1277.jpg\" alt=\"a folk-art inspired portrait by Aunia Kahn, depicting a woman wearing a dress that displays a countryside landscape. floral and avian motifs pattern around the middle and out toward the borders of the piece.\" class=\"wp-image-469885\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cWe Hold Every Goodbye in Our Body Like a Landscape\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-5-960x1217.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469888\" title=\"\u201cHistorical Altar Of Ones Own Becoming\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cHistorical Altar Of Ones Own Becoming\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cHistorical Altar Of Ones Own Becoming\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"1217\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-5-960x1217.jpg\" alt=\"a folk-art inspired portrait by Aunia Kahn, depicting a woman with long hair riding a red horse. floral and avian motifs pattern around the middle and out toward the borders of the piece.\" class=\"wp-image-469884\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cHistorical Altar Of Ones Own Becoming\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-4-960x1197.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469888\" title=\"\u201cLitany of Twilight Beyond Karmic Prophesies\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cLitany of Twilight Beyond Karmic Prophesies\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cLitany of Twilight Beyond Karmic Prophesies\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"1197\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-4-960x1197.jpg\" alt=\"a folk-art inspired portrait by Aunia Kahn, depicting a woman with three birds in her hair. floral and avian motifs pattern around the middle and out toward the borders of the piece.\" class=\"wp-image-469883\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cLitany of Twilight Beyond Karmic Prophesies\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-1-960x1304.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469888\" title=\"\u201cThe Impossible Physics of Staying Whole\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cThe Impossible Physics of Staying Whole\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cThe Impossible Physics of Staying Whole\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"1304\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/kahn-1-960x1304.jpg\" alt=\"a folk-art inspired portrait by Aunia Kahn, depicting a woman with her head floating above her body. floral and avian motifs pattern around the middle and out toward the borders of the piece.\" class=\"wp-image-469880\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cThe Impossible Physics of Staying Whole\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-benefits is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your favorite articles<\/li>\n<li>Get 15% off in the <a 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article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cRooted In The Language of Gilded Cages.\u201d All images \u00a9 Aunia Kahn, shared with permission Aunia Kahn\u2019s Lush Portraits Depict a Playful Inner Landscape February 19, 2026 Art Jackie Andres Share Pin Email Bookmark \u201cFor me, it always starts with joy,\u201d explains Aunia Kahn. The Detroit-based artist uses a handful of materials\u2014gouache, pastels, pencils, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1780591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1780591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1780591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1780591\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1780591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1780591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1780591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}