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Title: Art Lab: Experiments in Collaboration,
curated by Alice Bradshaw
Date: 30 July – 11 September 2022 Location: Crossley Gallery, Dean Clough, Halifax This exhibition showcases work by 34 artists randomly paired to collaborate over the course of 4 months with a diverse range of practices and collaboration methodologies. The exhibition marks a return to the physical space after Covid restrictions and also relaunches the Art Lab monthly meetings. Preview: 30 July, 12-2pm Preview performances by: Andy Abbott & Kimbal Bumstead, Siobhan Wall, Carrieanne Viviaette & Secret Pockets Gallery opening times: Monday – Sunday 10am – 5pm, free entry. Closing discussion: Monday 12 September, 7pm, Fletcher’s Mill, Dean Clough with Ebony Andrews & Ian C Taylor.
I was paired with Clare Smith.
Artist’s notes
Journey
Clare and I were both born in the same continent and spent significant parts of our lives in Dhaka before moving away to a new culture and a new environment that is the United Kingdom. Our narrative is full of stories of struggling over obstacles to experience so many different aspects of life’s challenges and successes. The Process of life is akin to a dot, then this moves forward to a running journey; on its way, exploring at every step of the way constant change and evolving forms.
“Journey” is a conceptual artwork with 48 painted paper boxes placed in four plinths – two of the plinths are about the desire to touch, one is about the desire to be close, whilst the other resonates feelings of drifting away or coming to the shore like travellers or perhaps like refugees in precious dinghies.
Those boxes are like a gift from an artists’ inner soul, where it has a connotation of society’s behaviour. Within this is the exploration of power, of struggle and domination which itself exists in a constant battle and state of flux.
Abu Jafar
I was excited to be paired with Abu and to discover the unexpected connection of Dhaka, where my father had been posted with the British Council. The boxes on one of the plinths can’t be touched or moved by the public, they are protected, out of reach; on another they are placed higher up so that they are perhaps less inviting to touch, a little more aloof, harder to reach. The boxes on the lower plinths invite the viewer to play, to touch, to build, to bring together and enjoy closeness.
Clare Smith
All images: Abu Jafar
Short-listed to create a 49 sqr meters Mural at Brick Lane, London to celebrate 50 years of independence of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
This painting is been short-listed to create a 49 sqr meters Mural at Brick Lane, London to celebrate 50 years of independence of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. And rename of the Mural 'Hope@ On My Way’ frames the simplicity of its colour scheme with its painstaking inner message. It took more than nineteen years to paint. The painting is an internal log, each stroke a coloured entry into the artist’s diary. It reflects his own encounters and achievements. It also mirrors those of every immigrant who has landed on foreign shores.
Emerald green bathes the bottom half of the painting. The top is like a rosy sunset, in shades of orange and red with streaks of yellow. This bright haze rises like an abstract column of hope. It pushes the mauve, purple and blue skies apart and even echoes the lighter shade of green below. The deep green at the bottom partners with the gauzy purple haze at the top. The central red-tinged section adds lightness to the lower half but remains the main focus of the world we gaze upon.
There are few symbols to make the story easy to decipher. Yet one cannot miss the three taut lines across the width of the painting. These stretch and bind the body of the work. They have the spiked and ragged metal edge of barbed wire. This lends an edge of pain to an otherwise compassionate and tender vision. It is a warning to avoid delusion. While our desires can be visible, one may need to overcome many barriers in our journey to the promised land.
Light streaks of blue fall from the top. These may be cosmic scratches of water, an almost invisible English rain, or the end of a Bangladeshi one. It evokes scenes glimpsed through a passing window. This subtle barrier makes us spectators more than actors. This mural will reflect many issues. These include the history of Brick Lane. It has been a melting pot of immigrant experiences and their struggle. This is particularly true of the Bangladeshi community. Millions of people have arrived in the United Kingdom, dreaming of a new life!
50 years of Bangladesh is a story of success. We celebrate Brick Lane and this story of success in 'Hope@ On My Way’.
“ Abu Jafar is a very energetic and gifted artist who has worked in a wide range of media, including installation/ performance as well as sculpture and painting.”
-Isobel Johnston, Curator, Arts Council Collection London UK -99
সন্ধ্যা নেমে সূর্যাস্তের ঢাকা বিমানবন্দর। উড়োজাহাজের মধ্যে বসে জানালার পাশে অস্ত যাওয়া সূর্য টা বার বার ভাবিয়ে তোলে। গন্তব্য লন্ডন। সিটবেল্ট টেনে আকাশ পথে পাড়ি। দুরু দুরু মন অজানা এক দেশে নতুন স্বপ্নে জন্মভূমি ছেড়ে (প্রকৃতির অনিয়ম কে নিয়ম ক'রে ) কল্পলোকের গল্পে নতুন জীবন। লন্ডন হিত্রো বিমানবন্দর খুব সকাল সূর্যের উঁকি। নতুন একটা দিন। নতুন দেশ। নতুন ভাষা। সবকিছুই এক স্বপ্নময় জগৎ। এরকম করেই লক্ষ লক্ষ মানুষের আগমন এই বিলেতে। আমাদের বাংলাদেশীরা ঐ স্বপ্নে দুরু দুরু মনে এখানে... নতুন স্বপ্ন।
ব্রিকলেন আমাদের মিলন মোহনা। বিলেতে আসা বাংলাদেশীরা দূর দুরন্ত থেকে আসতো এখানে একটু বাংলা পরশের জন্য। মিশতো বাংলাদেশীদের সাথে। কিনতো বাংলা গানের ক্যাসেট। খেতো বাঙালি খাবার। বলতো বাংলা কথা। আহ কী যে এক অপূর্ব অনুভুতি।
এমন করেই যুগে যুগে ব্রিকলেনে বিভিন্ন দেশের মানুষ এসে তাদের জীবন যাত্রার অধ্যায় শুরু করে আবার চলে গেছে অন্য কোথাও। গত ত্রিশ বছরে ঐ একই রকম পালাক্রমে বাংলাদেশীরা এসে আবার অন্যত্র নতুন ধারায় এখন ব্রিটিশ বাংলাদেশী। ব্রিকলেন একটি মিলিত স্মৃতি যা সবসময় সবার মতই পালা বদলের ইতিহাস।
বাংলাদেশের আজ ৫০ বছর স্বাধীনতার ইতিহাসে ব্রিটেনে বাংলাদেশীদের আগমন আর জীবন গড়ার নতুন সূর্য আলোতে বাংলাদেশী থেকে বিলেতি বাংলাদেশী। রেস্টুরেন্ট থেকে আজ শিল্প সাহিত্য, ডাক্তার, ইঞ্জিনিয়ার সব পেশাতেই জীবনের অপরূপ সংক্ষিপ্ত প্রতিচ্ছবিই এই মুরাল পেইন্টিং " সবার যাত্রা পথের কাহিনীর নতুন সূর্য" । নতুন আলো। আর ৫০ বছর উদযাপনে এই মুরাল পেইন্টিং বাংলাদেশকে গর্বিত করবে বাংলার সন্তানদের নতুন জীবনের মাইলস্টোন হিসেবে। এই মুরাল তৈরি করা হবে সকল প্রবাসীদের অনুভতির সত্য সুন্দরে। যা নতুন জীবনের নতুন সূর্যের মনের আলোয় নিজেদেরকে ঠাঁই করতে স্থান করে দিল এই ব্রিকলেনের চারপাশে। আর ধীরে ধীরে উন্নয়নের সাথে সাথে ইতিহাসের নতুন পাতা তৈরি করে সরে গিয়ে জায়গা করে দিল নতুনদের।
এই মুরাল তারই এক উজ্জ্বল নিদর্শন হয়ে যুগে যুগে মানুষের কথা বলবে। যাত্রা পথে এই জীবন ব্রিকলেনে একটু সময়। দুঃখ কষ্ট সব ফেলে নতুন সুন্দরে । সূর্যোদয়ের নতুন আলোয় নতুন সুন্দরে আর একটা সুন্দর দিন। এই পেইন্টিং মুরালটি কথা বলে ঐ গল্পের। তাই এই মুরাল আমি মনে করি যথাযথ ব্রিকলেন আজকে এবং আগামী দিনে নতুন পথ যাত্রায় অনন্তকালের সুন্দরে।এই মুরালের ইতিহাস ব্রিকলেন এর ইতিহাস। এই মূরালের ইতিহাস বাঙ্গালী জাতির নতুন সূর্যোদয়ের ইতিহাস, ব্রিটেনে তথা সমগ্র বিশ্বে এবং বাংলাদেশের। সব জাতির নতুন সুন্দর পথ যাত্রায় নতুন মিছিলে এই মুরাল হয়ে উঠবে সুন্দর এক নতুন দিনের সূর্যোদয়। আপনার আমার সবার মুখে একটা আনন্দ, মুচকি হাসি।VAA International Art Exhibition 2021
12th April - 30th June 2021
Poppy | £21000 | 125 x 170.5 x 5 cm | Acrylic on canvas
“Poppy” is a field of reflection in many years of experience that explores our inner souls into the art form. It took many years to complete. Most of my work usually takes about 15-20 years and this painting was not that exception. I try to emulate my everyday activity to understanding life and my surroundings then turn that into an art form using colour and brush on canvas. This painting is the result of that process.
Contact
T: 01244 952020
E: hello@visual-artists.org
85 Great Portland Street
London W1W 7LT
Ongoing project
Covit 19 & I
Acrylic on canvas
200cm H X 220cm W
"RONG"
NEW WORK FROM ABU JAFAR - Open House: Thursday 1 October
RONG is a new exhibition from acclaimed visual artist and sculptor Abu Jafar. We would love for you to join us for opening night.
A reflection of Jafar’s work from over two decades, RONG will involve an installation covering nearly 36 sq. meters, alongside painting and sculpture. Having studied in both Bangladesh and the United Kingdom, Jafar draws on multiple artistic practices. By bringing together a varied range of works, we are able to observe the evolution of the artist, and see the artworks in dialogue with each other and the world.
'Abu's work isn't an explanation of hope, it is a gift of hope to those who engage with it' - Anne Cunningham, Chief Executive, The Art House.
Please join us for the Open House and light refreshments on Thursday 1 October, at 6pm. This event will be held in both the Lower Café and The Mezzanine Gallery.
This exhibition will involve an installation covering nearly 36 sq. meters alongside painting and sculpture by Abu Jafar, a British international artist
Exhibition RONG is a little reflection of Jafar’s work over two decades artistic journey in the UK and abroad.
Abu Jafar (Visual Artist / Sculptor) is an acclaimed leading British International artist and Philosopher of the arts who lives and works in United Kingdom. Born on March 21, 1968 in a small village called Jhilna, Patuakhali, Bangladesh.
He studied fine arts, painting and drawing at the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh 1984/89, Master Drawing of the human figure at the Guildhall University, London 1989/90, Art and Art History at the Goldsmith’s College, University of London 1991/92 and Philosophy of Arts at the Open University, 1997 UK. In 2007 Become an Associates Member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, He becomes a Fellow of Digswell Arts Trust 2011 and 2009 become a Member of Sculpture Network.
Please join us for the Open House on Thursday 1 October, 6pm in both the Lower Cafe Gallery and The Mezzanine.
'Jafar’s grasp of subject power of vision and ability to assimilate may surprise many' Writer Anis Choudhury-Dhaka
'Abu Jafar is a committed and established artist with a strong exhibition record in the UK. His use of a rich range of media and breadth of concern have earned the artist the wide respect of his peers in London' Marjorie Allthorpe-Guyton, Director of Visual Arts, Arts Council of England
'Abu Jafar is a very energetic and gifted artist who has worked in a wide range of media, including installation/ performance as well as sculpture and painting.' Isoble Johnston, Curator, Arts Council Collection
'His installations are placed in our public spaces - in amongst our everyday lives. Their beauty and lack of pomp garners our curiosity - we approach them openly. Curiosity is the most wonderful of human instincts because it removes us from the momentum of our day lives and it opens our minds. In opening our minds we can explore new ideas, imagine positive change and therefore create our own new sense of coherence. This coherence gives us hope; hope gives us the ability to create our own futures based on the new context we find ourselves in. Abu's work isn't an explanation of hope, it is a gift of hope to those who engage with it' Anne Cunningham, Chief Executive, The Art House
'Hope can be static and even negative but a positive form of hope perhaps involves the movement of a journey. Abu Jafar's series of installations invites a 'journey' from one to the next, but the viewer can also journey among them, catching the changing reflection of light through the various piece of coloured glasswork, studying the carving lines of patches of colour inscribed on each installation... Making meanings of all this can be seen as a form of fruitful involvement, of hope' Mark Treharne, Author
'What impresses a viewer a Jafar’s painting though his meager output not withstanding, is a sense of total dedication that he brings to in his work. One feels that Jafar is pouring out his whole being in his work, which speaks of his deep convictions and his belief in humanity and the power of love to transform the world, Amour Vincent Omni a could as will be a natural theme for Jafar' Professor Dr. S. Manzoorul Islam, University of Dhaka
'His work is vibrant in colour and depicts the brighter side of lie, paintings of internal love between man and woman as well as humanity and harmony between people. The desire to depict on canvas a world free of suffering and social injustice has been furled by his own experiences and his determination to succeed as an artist has given him a greater insight into the struggle of others' Debbie Sellman, Art Critic
'The blurring of distinction between figure and ground is a major factor in decorative art. In the classical arabesque rhythm and pattern sweep both terms into an active mixture. In Islamic traditions writing and decorative design become similarly fused, design and sign become one form. Jafar’s work welds together signature and painterly decoration as a ground, which then, (after a while) emerges as a figure working energetically within the environment. This shared emerging figure is endlessly at home because it continually draws its own ground. Rather than basing a landscape on a grid we find its foundation in the movement of a dynamic arabesque in a flourish of signatures' Phil King, Artist & Art Critic.
Website: abujafar.com
Instagram: @abujafarTwitter: @abujafar
Facebook: /Abu-Jafar
Firstsite Open Exhibition 2015
Saturday 3 October - Sunday 22 November 2015
Open Studio - 2015 Letchworth
Digswell Arts Studios: Open Day – Saturday 5th September
Visit and meet the artists in their studios. View work in progress, demonstrating skills and discussing ideas. Refreshments available.
11.00am-4.00pm
The Fenners Building, Letchworth Garden City.
In conjunction with Herts Visual Arts Open Studios artists Cathy Smale and Amy Wilson will available all week, working in the exhibition room.
Saturday 5th – Sunday 13th September. Saturdays 10.00am-6.00pm / Sunday-Friday 10.00am-3.00pm
Private View and Closing Party:
Friday 27 March 6 - 9.30pm
LUBOMIROV-EASTON Editions 15LUBOMIROV-EASTON’s on-going Open Call for Editions is not a typical open call. It is a response to the pervasive prevalence of digital selection for open submissions. We wanted to specifically not use digital images as a basis for seeing work, but to really take the time to look at actual artworks in situ. We also wanted to create a situation where all applying artists would have an exhibition experience for their money and not simply buy into a lottery. The project for us sits somewhere between an exhibition and a month-long live viewing exercise. It is dynamic in nature. The project opened on Friday 27th March with a live hang in lieu of a Private View. Work was hung salon-style as it arrived. As editions continue to come in throughout the duration of the project, the works are moved and rehung on an almost daily basis. This process will continue until the very last practical moment – Thursday 26th March. The Private View will be held on the last day, as a Finissage and a final moment in an evolving body of images.
Currently there are 120 artworks in the gallery from the following artists:
Abu Jafar | Adam Fenton | Alice Wilson | Alison Berry | Amanda Whittle | Andrea Robinson | Angela Buffoni | Beatrice Haines | Ben Swift | Bonita Alice | Carmen Lamberti | charlie warde | Chelly Saenz | Chris Hawtin | Christopher Barrett | Colin Maitland | Darren Coffield | Elizabeth Hannaford | Elli Sou | Emma Davis | Enzo Marra | Estefania Araujo Bianchi | Evy Jokhova | Ewa Wawrzyniak | Fiona Grady | Frances Boyle | Gabrielle Lockwood Estrin | Georgia Keeling | Gillian Swan | Grant Watson | Henrietta Armstrong | Hitomi Kammai | Isidora Papadouli | Jaime Valtierra | James Petrucci | Jane Harris | John Crossley | Jonathan Parsons | Jonathan Schmidt-Ott | Julia Warr | Kaori Homma | Karen Ay / Paul Tucker | Keran James | Kirsty Harris | Kye Sook Park | Lee Johnson | Lisa Ivory | Liz Elton | Lizy Bending | Louisa Mahony | Lucie Bennett | Maggie Learmonth | Mandy Hudson | Maria Jose | Maria Jose Arceo | Matt Valentine | Max Middleton | Meng Ni Beh | Michael Boffey | Mikey Georgeson | Minami Wrigley | Morwenna Lake | Nicholas Vaughan | Phill Hopkins | Ralph Anderson | Robin Dixon | Ronis Varlaam | Sarah Pager | Sharon Drew | Shiroma Ratne | Sisetta Zappone | Stephen Lee | Tal Regev | Thomas Poeser | Valeriya N-Georg | Veronique Chance | Vivienne Boucherat | Xiaoqiao Li | Zoe Martin
LUBOMIROV-EASTON
Enclave 8, 50 Resolution Way
London SE8 4AL
www.lubomirov-easton.com
info@lubomirov-easton.com
+44 208 6918564
Gallery Argentum, in partnership with KI Europe, brings the works of mid career and emerging artists to an audience beyond the sterile and often unwelcoming white walls of the traditional gallery. Can a departure from reality stimulate imaginative thinking in the workplace?
Gallery Argentum’s forthcoming exhibition at the prestigious KI Europe showroom examines how abstract art can influence creativity in the workplace.
In abstract art, the artist uses a visual language of shapes, forms, lines and colours to interpret a subject-matter, without providing the viewer with a recognisable reference point. This contrasts dramatically with traditional forms of art which set out to achieve a literal and more representational interpretation of a subject and communicate a particular ‘reality’ to the viewer.
We look forward to welcoming you to our Private View where you will be able to join us for a glass of wine, meet many of the artists participating in this exhibition and engage in stimulating conversation with new friends.
Here's a little glimpse of the artists who will be showing:
Mark Aaron
Tim Benson, VPROI
Sue England
Sue Hall
Abu Jafar
Brenda Jones
Steve Kelly
Christina Mitrentse
Martin Olsson
John O'Connor
Hilary Owers
Andrew Schumann
Rebekah Stovold
For information and RSVP, please email us at tiziana@argentum.gallery
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