Satta Hashem’s solo-show, In Conflict: Reflections on the
Constant War in Iraq, which exhibited in New Art Exchange’s Central and Mezzanine
Galleries, features a selection of ink drawings, acrylic paintings and
mono-screen prints, spanning the past 10 years since the invasion of Iraq.
Hashem’s drive is not to create propaganda; instead he presents an emotional
response to the war. The works are always aesthetically striking and communicate
the personal turbulence of war and the sorrow of loss.
The exhibition begins in the Central Gallery which mainly
features ink drawings on paper. These works are small and intuitive like
doodles. The exhibition title In Conflict describes the Iraq war, but also
reflects the chaotic appearance of Hashem’s artworks. In his ink drawing
‘Widows at War no. 1769’, 2012, Hashem depicts four abstract forms suggestive
of human figures. Inner turmoil is conveyed through the frenzy of scribbles
occupying the figure’s heart and head whilst the limbs remain hollow spaces. There
is something disturbing about Hashem’s refusal to satisfy the viewer’s natural
urge to read the subject’s facial expression. The artist frequently uses widows as his
subject matter, which contrast to the cold statistics of war- often the
only aspect of war that we see.
Widows at War no. 1769, 2012
The Mezzanine Gallery contains larger drawings and Expressionist
paintings upon large canvases. These life-size scenes are windows into another
world and it has an emotionally absorbing effect upon its viewer. In ‘Life and
Death', 2012 Hashem uses colour boldly to express emotion. The theme of
conflict is presented aesthetically through the battle for dominance between
contrasting colours. The abstract composition consists of a series of dynamic
multi-coloured lines spiralling and intertwining through a sea of colours. The
absence of a focal point is not restful on the eyes; instead the viewer is
forced to actively scan and process the busy surface of the canvas. The energy
and movement within the piece is achieved through the wild intuitive
application of paint, and it invests the painting with an immediate rawness. In
the context of ‘Life and Death’, the composition shares similarities with an
anatomical model; the lines loosely resemble veins, and the red areas raw flesh
and blood.
Life and Death, 2012
The final series of works within the exhibition are
mono-screen prints, which are composed of multi-coloured geometric blocks in a
Modernist style. Hashem utilises the theory of Quantum Realism, developed by
the Iraqi artist Mahmoud Sabri, to interpret chemical properties into visual
forms. The elements Hashem represent belong to chemical warfare, such as uranium,
thulium, and iron. This scientific approach differs from the emotional use of
colour in his paintings. Alongside his prints is a television screen displaying
a slideshow of images which use abstract blocks of colour also determined by
Quantum Realism. The television relates to how war is edited, recorded and
communicated through news reports. Visually the slideshow is reminiscent of
test cards broadcasted of television; another system utilising colour. Compared
to other works in the exhibition, Hashem’s presentation of the Iraq war is more
reflective, still and detached.
Resonant Frequency of
Gold No.4, (2012)
Overall, I feel the exhibition deeply explores the emotional
effect of war including the anxiety, destruction and loss, and it is conveyed in
an engrossing and aesthetically interesting way. Difficult themes emerge in
abstract forms- we are given an insight into troubled souls rather than a
simple representation of facts. Throughout the exhibition Hashem’s artworks balance
abstraction with representation, which allowed me to use my imagination and
identify with the subject. I did not feel the exhibition solely represents
Iraq, but instead the artworks respond to the social and personal effects of any
war or any instance of dramatic turmoil. The exhibition represents something deeply
troublesome and upsetting, presented in a way that we can all emotionally connect
with.
Laura-Jade Klée
Marketing Assistant, New Art Exchange
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