Brothers Abdul Abdullah & Abdul-Rahman come together to form an incisive dialogue about our current local and global state of affairs, specifically the changing perceptions of centrality and the peripheral in the context of 2020.
Abdul Abdullah, Transformation and revelation, 2020, oil on linen, 110 x 95cm
Abdul Abdullah’s new body of work is an explosion of references and styles on the canvas’ surface. His signature white lines are overlaid on realistically painted backgrounds – seascapes and cloudscapes –denoting movement between physical locations. In a time when travel is impossible for most, these memories of travel help us to reflect on what it means to move over these invisible borders and boundaries, acting as metaphors for our own person obstacles in life. While Abdul-Rahman Abdullah’s wooden sculptures of wrapped and covered canvases punctuate the space, poetically anchoring the exhibition into the here and now. The surface of the paintings, where content is redacted and forms are shrouded within their wooden forms, are dormant, lying in wait for the moment they will be unveiled.
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Another time, another place, 2020, painted wood, 160 x 105 x 15cm
Yavuz Gallery
28 November to 19 December 2020
Sydney
