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Crosscurrents

Illustrator Sanaa Khan on making art, zines and community in the East Bay

Lena Gustafson, resized and recropped
Illustrator Sanaa Khan at work

East Bay illustrator, painter and printmaker Sanaa Khan makes work that spans mediums, but usually revolves around the humorous, fun and surreal.

A recent zine she made — printed by Tiny Splendor, the small press collective she helps run — is called “The Urge to Regurge.”

Credit Painting by Sanaa Khan
"Lupine Drive (Immigrants Make America Great)"

Recently she created a series of paintings called "Immigrants Make America Great," as part of a group exhibition responding to the 2016 election. The paintings reflect on moments in Khan's Pakistani-American family, in rich watercolor and photorealistic detail.

Sanaa Khan’s solo show, Tears of Empathy, runs through the end of the month at Tara’s Organic Ice Cream and Gallery in Oakland.  

 

Crosscurrents
Jen Chien was the managing editor for Crosscurrents and KALW News from 2016 to 2018. She has been a contributor to All Things Considered, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, BBC/PRI’s The World, Making Contact, SF Public Press, East Bay Express, New America Media, and KPFA in Berkeley, where she took part in the First Voice Apprenticeship Program. She is the recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Emerging Journalist Award from the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California. She holds a BA in American Studies from Smith College, and an MA in Interdisciplinary Performance from New College of California. Before entering the field of journalism, she had a successful career as a professional dance and theater artist, teacher, and massage therapist.