Iris Projects is pleased to participate in the 2024 edition of Abu Dhabi Art, featuring works by Juma Al Haj and new representation Alyazia Al Nahyan.
Whereas their distinct visual languages are rather cohesive – the layered, monochromatic compositions, the abstracted mark-making – they are in fact conceptually contrasting. The proposed presentation, hence, serves as a commentary on introspective storytelling vs collective memory, abstraction vs materiality, intention vs impulse. Al Nahyan’s practice explores the interplay between materiality and landscapes as a survey into collective memory, culture, and history. Her paintings emerge from fabrics that are naturally died with plants and objects found throughout site explorations. The natural patterns achieved in the process balance her intentional mark-making; an attempt to create reimagined landscapes by embracing the intuitiveness of unconscious memories through conscious expression.
In his paintings and drawings, Al Haj transcends the confines of conventional letterforms to unveil a distinctive language of visual expression. He often finds himself navigating the space between intention and impulse, allowing his hand to flow freely, conveying covert emotions, observations, thoughts and meanings. Each brushstroke becomes a gesture of introspection, a meditation on the interplay of form and negative space, movement and stillness. Presented at the booth is a selection of new paintings, created specifically for Abu Dhabi Art.
