Celebrating 25 Years of the North Carolina Literary Review
N C L R ONLINE
107
COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Dying Living, 2012 (graphite and acrylic on claybord, 7.5x12) by Kiki Farish
no judgeships in my future, no trips to Thailand or Brazil. That I regret interrupting one of her favorite stories, Super Bowl celebration going strong, corner bar crowded, unfamiliar woman tossing off blouse, skirt, underwear, bra. “Your collar and cuffs don’t match!” a man called out, so she pulled off an ash-blonde wig, flipped it into his lap. My mother loved this twist, having witnessed it herself, but I knew every word, stopped her at mention of the blouse. That I couldn’t keep her piano, certain I’d never have room, now save a wistful space for it, mourn the silent wall.
KIKI FARISH is Professor of Art at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. Born in Florida, she received her BA in math and art from Meredith College, and she earned her MFA from East Carolina University. Farish is among ten visual artists who received a 2014–15 North Carolina Fellowship Award. She was among twelve artists included in the North Carolina Museum of Art’s exhibition “Line, Touch, Trace.” In spring 2015, she was the Jentel Artist in Residence at Banner, WY, and the New York Mills Artist in Residence in New York Mills, NM. Her work is collected privately in such venues as Fidelity Investments and the City of Raleigh. She maintains a public studio at Artspace in downtown Raleigh. See more of her work on her website and in the NCLR 2016 print issue.