In Tayeba Begum Lipi’s first solo show in London, the Bangladeshi artist presents works that exemplify her very literally cutting-edge artistic practice. Overlapping panels of shiny silvery metal take shape as everyday items, encompassing a bath tub, baby pram, picture frame, and even a bra in what at first appears to be a smooth, tantalising and luxurious surface – as if each item were encased in its very own suit of expensive armour. Closer inspection, however, exposes a deadly beauty as each metal panel reveals itself to be a razor blade, the light reflecting off its honed edges. Meanwhile, as the eye focuses on a bikini seemingly comprised of soft gold mesh, one finds that it is instead made up of a matrix of tightly woven safety pins, the points of each mercifully encased in the catch. With titles such as The Stolen Dream and Trapped, Lipi’s works exude in turns an air of sadness and danger. The exhibition at Pi Artworks London showcases a selection of Lipi’s new works from 2012 and 2013, as well as her latest piece, Genitalia, which debuted at the Dhaka Art Summit 2014.
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Horasan. (Detail) 1946, 2013/2014, oil on canvas, 200 x 170 cm.
5 April–17 May
Horasan
When The Time Comes
The exhibition will present new works on canvas alongside collage and video work by one of Turkey’s seminal multidisciplinary artists. In When The Time Comes, the artist explores the ravaging effects of age, and its ability to make us appear gender neutral, as well as man’s pursuit of youth and immortality, in defiance of time and nature. Paint is layered then scraped away to create intricate filigree patterns across the canvas, a network of folds, wrinkles and symbolic emblems comprise visages filled with experiences, their very faces evidence of long lives lived. Mustafa Horasan (known as ‘Horasan’) graduated from Marmara University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Graphics in 1986. His background in design and graphics has influenced his artistic style, working across a wide range of media, from oil and pastel to drawing and print. His colourful and often collage-style works are iconic for their exploration of both physiological and psychological space, drawing on the grotesque, on Pop culture influences and real life. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the IMKB Arts Competition, Mimar Sinan University New Inclinations Award, Esbank Yunus Emre Painting Competition and State Paint Exhibition. Horasan’s work can be found in international private and public collections, including those of Istanbul Modern, Turkey and the Sharjah Art Museum, UAE.
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Volkan Aslan, Sunday:Fragile, 2013, porcelain and ceramic, 15 x 10 x 8 cm
24 May- 30 June
Volkan Aslan
New Works
Working in a range of media, Volkan Aslan’s interdisciplinary and inter-medial approach results in a poetic yet political oeuvre. Balancing aesthetics and concept, Aslan investigates the relationship between personal and social history. Recent solo exhibitions in Istanbul include Don’t Forget to Remember at Arter – Space for Art (2013); Volkan at Macka Art Gallery (2011); and Unstable Repetition at Pi Artworks (2011). Group exhibitions have taken place as far and wide as Turkey, Morocco, Lebanon, the UAE, the USA, Germany, France and Brazil and his work was included in the 2013 Istanbul Biennial. His work can be found in a number of Turkish collections, including the Özyeğin University collection and Arter – Space for Art, an initiative of The Vehbi Koç Foundation. Aslan studied at the Mersin University Faculty of Fine Arts, Istanbul, and graduated with an MA from Cukurova University, Istanbul, in 2005.
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July
Group Show
The gallery will welcome the summer with a group show of young and emerging British artists. This is part of Pi Artworks’ mission to engage and interact with the local arts scene, providing a platform for exchange betwen Istanbul and London.
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September-October
Susan Hefuna
Susan Hefuna is fascinated with the networks and structures of connection that inhabit public spaces and become the framework for peoples’ interactions with each other as well as how these networks become visible.
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November
Gülay Semercioğlu
Gülay Semercioğlu uses up to eight kilometers of thick dyed aluminum wire to create lush, undulating color fields that, from a distance, appear to be finely executed abstract paintings. The result is a delicate sheen that plays with light.
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December-January
Maria Friberg
Exploring themes of power, masculinity and man’s relationship to nature, Maria Friberg works predominantly in photography and video. She creates tableaus that seek to challenge our notions of identity, gender and social hierarchies.
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