Born in Alexandria, Egypt, and currently based in Berlin, Germany, visual artist Mahmoud Khaled’s process-oriented and multidisciplinary practice could be regarded as formal and philosophical ruminations on art as political activism — a space for critical reflection. Moving between the scale of the minute and a more immersive totality, his work takes on failure, austere…
Compared to the wealth of literature dealing with modern art in the West, the scholarly and literary contributions to modern Arab art are scarce. Despite the lack of historical perspectives and accounts, the field is developing thanks to a number of active researchers and scholars and an increasing institutional support from regional and international organisations….
For the first time, four of India’s leading galleries – Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai; Experimenter, Kolkata; Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai; and Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi – have come together for a collaborative exhibition in London entitled Conversations on Tomorrow, hosted by Sadie Coles HQ. The ambitious collaboration, open now and running until 18 June 2022…
The oldest surviving paper-cut work is a symmetrical circle from the 6th century found in Xinjiang, China. Ka-ming Wu, Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, explains that in the 20th century, paper-cuts have been variously regarded as a domestic craft, a site of rural purity, a marker of Chinese civilisation, and more recently,…
In an age of globalisation, the contemporary art practices of Myanmar have developed largely in isolation, cautiously overcoming strict censorship laws to birth distinctive and nuanced bodies of work laden with self-reflection. Having existed in isolation from 1962 to 2011, the country is steeped in Buddhist belief, which unsurprisingly permeates its way into the creative…
Born in 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama, artist and musician Lonnie Holley’s interdisciplinary practice oscillates seamlessly between sculpture, painting, photography, filmmaking, performance and sound. After a turbulent youth, Holley started making sand sculptures in his late 20’s, and in time began working with found objects and painting. His found mediums are imbued with cultural and artistic…
The long and storied history of perfume spans thousands of years, with the earliest remnants of perfume making practices hailing from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Cyprus. The English word “perfume” is derived from the Latin “per fume,” meaning “through smoke.” It is widely believed that the ancient Egyptians were the first to introduce perfume into…
Tanzanian artist and writer Valerie Asiimwe Amani is the inaugural Roberts Institute of Art (RIA) and South London Gallery (SLG) Performance Artist in Residence. Amani, who studied at the Ruskin School of Art, works across performative video, text, textiles and installation. The artist’s five-week residency will culminate in a live performance at the SLG from…