Abstraction is a global language, and it is being used in so many different cultures, in so many different contexts.
The online show ELEMENTS provides an exploration of the title theme as perceived from various contexts and lenses. The display includes a variety of media and practice, including digital art, photography, paintings and mixed-media presenting varying interpretations whilst blurring literal and conceptual lines in our perception of space, place, nature and the immaterial. The show includes 17 international artists from Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Artist and writer Zuleika Lebow spoke with ELEMENTS curator Sara Choudhrey to discuss the show, her practice and inclusivity in the art world.
Sharon James, Metropolis, 2021
Online talks, events and exhibitions, once met with derision from many, has now been embraced as a viable alternative to in person shows. In the wake of the indefinite closure of many arts venues deemed “non-essential” by the government, a plethora of Instagram lives and digital shows followed as the creative community adapted to life within the four-walled worlds of their homes.
One such show was ELEMENTS (June 2020), a 3D exhibition showcasing the work of visual abstract artists, conceived and curated by London-based artist and researcher Sara Choudhrey as a direct response to the postponements and closures enforced by the lockdown. One year on, preparations for ELEMENTS 2021 are in full swing, with preselected artists showing work alongside those who responded to an open call for abstract works from emerging and mid-career Black artists.
Entrance of ELEMENTS, 2021 (Online Exhibition)
“My initial premise was to be able to give people the opportunity to continue exhibiting, but also then focus on art that I feel is not really shown in mainstream spaces. ”
A woman of proud Pakistani heritage, Choudhrey’s work draws from the rich history of Islamic art, juxtaposing layered and complex geometric and natural patterns within the more contemporary concepts of abstraction and digital praxis. When I ask her about the relationship between her practice and the decision to curate both ELEMENTS as showcases for abstract work her face lights up, “My initial premise was to be able to give people the opportunity to continue exhibiting, but also then focus on art that I feel is not really shown in mainstream spaces. It wasn’t just about Islamic art, I wanted to open it up to a variety of methods and styles. Abstraction is a global language, and it is being used in so many different cultures, in so many different contexts.”
Sara Choudhrey’s Detail: Untitled II, رنگ (Rang) series, 2020
Choudhrey’s choice to host ELEMENTS online during the pandemic, rather than waiting until things ‘get back to normal’ is a result of her thoughts around accessibility. “One of the reasons why the whole digitization of collections took off in the pandemic was to accommodate people who are isolating, who don't feel comfortable about coming out. But I was like, hey, there's people who haven't been able to come out for ages, because these spaces are not accommodating their disabilities!” However, she is careful about how she frames the prospect of digital shows, not as an ‘either/or’ but as an ‘and’. “I would never say digital is a replacement for the real or physical. But it's a very good alternative, especially where there are limitations in place.”
Given her specialism and multiple degrees in Digital Arts, Choudhrey was more prepared than most to embrace the move towards alternative modes of exhibiting work. She points out that through her research she was “aware” of the pre-pandemic resistance to digital arts. “I was like okay, well now it’s obvious that people don’t have a choice and I thought that was interesting. But for me, I was very comfortable with it. So it was like hey, this is great! It’s allowing people to continue exhibiting! You know, that's what I want for others, to keep the momentum going in the arts, but also then focus on art that I feel is not really shown in mainstream spaces.”
Space and spaces come up frequently during our conversation: gallery space, locations, positionality. In curating ELEMENTS, she deliberately wanted to challenge viewers' expectations of what abstract art is or is not. Selecting works by artists from diverse backgrounds that demonstrate a variety of techniques and media in their work. Breaking open what is traditionally thought of as abstract art. “I think tradition is something that's continuous, it's not fixed to a particular location, time or people even.”
The concept of who is taking up space is something that she considered deeply when she decided to curate ELEMENTS 2021. While the first show consisted of pre-selected artists from multiple backgrounds, this year’s exhibition has included an open call for works from Black abstract artists. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests that took place during the summer of the first UK lockdown, she says she took stock of her knowledge gaps, “I was very conscious of the fact that I didn't know that many Black artists who were doing abstract art specifically, I knew a couple here and there. I thought, okay, this is something I need to learn a bit more about, what is happening here? Then I made it my goal that if I do this next time around, and I definitely wanted to do it again because we had such great feedback and it worked really well, that one of the ways to address this is to do an open call for Black abstract artists.”
In some ways, ELEMENTS 2021 is not only a response to pandemic closures but to the current shift in the art world towards collecting figurative works depicting Black bodies post-black squares. Our conversation turns towards support for the work of abstract artists who are Black or of colour. Given the exclusion of Black artists and artists of colour from the traditional abstraction cannon, Choudhrey says that she is conscious of representing the work of those who responded to the open call sensitively. Aware of her need to be “better informed”, she has been conversing with Black Blossoms’ own Bolanle Tajudeen and Yvette Miller, founder of Black Cube Collective, who has been leading the movement to bring Black female abstract artists the recognition they deserve.
Exhibiting artist Linett Kamala describes her style of abstraction as Freestyle calligraffiti “I find it more liberating from the constraints of the figurative form. I’m able to express myself beyond limited definitions of Blackness often favoured by institutions. For me, abstraction represents creative freedom.”
Linett Kamala, My heart will always be in Brixton (Olive Morris), 2019
“I find it more liberating from the constraints of the figurative form. I’m able to express myself beyond limited definitions of Blackness often favoured by institutions. For me, abstraction represents creative freedom”
When I ask Choudhrey what she thinks about the drive of individuals and institutions acquiring more works by Black artists, she becomes pensive. The current discourse from many institutions around decolonising their collections has varied from problematic to tentatively positive. This becomes apparent when examining the way that some in the art world are treating figurative art from Black artists as a revelation, rather than acknowledging the deliberate obfuscation of their work. “It's almost like, okay this is an easy way for a space to demonstrate that they have ‘done something about it.’ In a way, I would say some of those cases are sincere. It's still a very tricky and sticky situation for some of the bigger institutions. Because they might have released statements about being aware of their colonial history, the Imperialist contribution ... But then it's not really followed up with an action plan, maybe, or those actions are very slow in coming about.”
I note that Choudhrey is all about taking considered action when she senses injustice, a motivation that she says comes from her Islamic faith. She says that it is important to her to approach things in the correct way, and this has formed a large part of her decision-making when it comes to her own practice as well as the curation of ELEMENTS. Although the open call for the 2021 iteration of the show is only open to Black artists, there is a diverse roster of creatives she has pre-selected for the show. When I ask about those she has picked, she says she has chosen artists and works that she believes are “genuinely contributing to the conversation that is happening”. I am curious to see what conversations will arise when the show opens.
ELEMENTS is open from 29 June at 6 PM and close on 15 July and can be visited here.
