30. April, 2023
ATARAXIA - Mind & Soul Collective Art Exhibition
Dubai: ATARAXIA is a collective exhibition centered around visual storytelling. How does the work we create reflect deeper, underlying narratives? For centuries, art has been used as a means of visual storytelling, and through these stories we can better understand ourselves and the world around us. In this exhibition, we are showcasing work that draws upon memory and storytelling to visually communicate the personal experiences of each artist through MIND & SOUL.
ATARAXIA is an exploration of being, from outer to inner, mental to physical and all the varied combinations in between. This collective exhibition is dedicated to the exhibition of 9 Women artists, sharing a theme, an artistic movement or belonging to a specific cultural cross-section.
The project is conceived and curated by Jesno Jackson, with the collaboration of Picasso Gallery.
This exhibition explores the theme of new beginnings and their implications through Mind & Soul. Art and cultural activity are not just consumer goods; they are a way of life for us. Showing works across many mediums, disciplines and experiences. This exhibition is distinguished by the participation of Marina Zotova (Russia), Babita Shamji (Canada), Nagla Mahdi (Egypt), Merly Mathews (India), Namira Basit (Pakistan), Meeran Nasir (Pakistan), Kharen Tacmo (Philippines), Yuliya solomennaya (Belarus), and Ayesha Yousef (Pakistan).
The collection includes a selection of paintings, digital art, mixed media, some of which were produced specifically for the exhibition or are featured here for the first time.
Mind & Soul Collection by Merly Mathews:
Women feature predominantly in my art. Meditation can be done anywhere, finding your soul’s peace and tranquillity, as you commune with nature. In this collection, I have taken my spiritual representative to four different terrains, the sand dunes (with respect to my country of domicile), the hills, underwater and the cosmos. My spiritual representative has travelled to the desert, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, to find her share of tranquillity. Her search for serenity takes my spiritual representative to the highlands. The underwater quietude beckons my spiritual representative to its beautiful depths. The cosmos envelopes my spiritual representative in its fold, in its universe, allowing her to meditate in its sheer existence.
Mosaic Collection by Nagla Mahdi:
Technical insight is the key to my creation and the appreciation of mosaic, and the technical aspects of the art require special emphasis. There are also significant stylistic, religious, and cultural aspects of mosaic, which has played an important role in Western art and has appeared in other cultures. In modern mosaic practice, the main tendency is to build on the unique and inimitable qualities of the medium. Although not a few of the works created in the 20th century reveal the influence of painting, figurative or abstract, the art came a long way toward self-realization.
Visceral Destination Collection by Babita Shamji:
The Artists depictions of unique locations around the world served as the inspiration for this collection of abstract landscapes. Her approach and method are communicated through an imaginary world, defining that these are mass structures by using simple yet striking colour schemes and strong expressive shapes. The piece has flow and movement due to the tectonic lines, delivering the impression that it is a land structure. Far from a true representation of nature. She conveys a vivid impression of a previously visited location through her visceral feelings.
Design Collections by Meeran Nasir:
This particular series of artwork revolves around the abstract designs. Since abstract art does not represent material world, so it gives me freedom to explore the work with open mind and big imagination and be experimental. My abstract art is my own interpretation and I can assign my own meaning to any piece. This prepares me to look beyond the things that I already know or recognize. I try to use my own imagination and memories to create something unique.
Inikaas - Reflection Collections by Ayesha Yousuf Bhatti:
Inikaas, which refers to reflection, is inspired by motivated result of thoughts, views and perspectives. I keep trying different mediums and genres. My main focus always settles down on textures and colors. With a textile design background my aim is to create the beauty of my favorite visuals, textures, patterns and colors. I wish I possibly be able to do layering of time, culture, patterns, traditions and experiences. If only I can convey in the contrast and balance, abstraction of modern and ancient perspective to my work.
Floral Collections by Namira Basit:
My work mainly focuses on texture and color perceptions. Through my pieces I explore everything under the umbrella of contemporary modern abstracts, from textured acrylic pieces to gestural fluid art. My signature textured floral pieces are the ones I take most pride in. As an artist, expression of color is everything to me. With all my pieces, I meticulously craft my color palettes and create combinations that are put together to dance a waltz and capture mood. To me, color is the most important aspect of my textured pieces.
Golden Animal Collection by Yuliya Solomennaya:
Three colors – red, black and gold are used to illustrate animals in the “Golden Animals on the Red” Series. Guilding was a technique used in the artwork. Guilding gives the pieces, a lovely appearance; it has pleasing glossy sheen and shimmers in the light in various colours. Acrylic paints and gold patina were employed in the piece. I was inspired by Far Eastern culture to produce this sequence of paintings on a red background. I recently finished reading Shizhong Liu’s Book – The History of Chinese Painting, which is about painting. I started painting golden animals after finishing the book.
Nature Collection by Marina Zotova:
My passion is love for nature. My landscapes convey not only sunny and positive emotions. Sometimes it is sadness during a cloudy day, and sometimes it is a threat before a thunderstorm. But I love nature as it is – different, indifferent colors and moods, and in different weather. In any of its performances – it is perfect – says Marina.
Eternal Serenity Collection by Kharen Tacmo:
Kharen’s art is the interpretation of her voice, dreams, and the vision that she has for herself and the world. She loves painting symbolic woman and animals representing their divine beauty, innocence, and strength. Her work is found to be dreamy looking, full of symbolism. She also likes poetry and music that sometimes influence her art. “I am inspired to create eternal serenity into the world that we always cannot comprehend.” Her goal is to be able to draw people within this world through her art to see themselves in the realms of light and embrace them with such emotional power.
NOTE FROM THE CURATOR
The power and appeal of art, in my view, is its capacity to usher viewers into any number of worlds—to tell stories that aren’t but might well be our own. It’s an oft-trumpeted notion but there really is something universal about the best works of art, in the sense that it serves as a platform for shared cultures, shared fantasies.
The pieces I’ve chosen for ATARAXIA immerse us as some of the best narratives do, in the midst of things. We enter with a kind of jolt and what we witness has something timeless about it. Like flipping to a page somewhere in the middle of a novel and beginning to read, we might not know what’s going on but we gladly read on.
It was incredibly difficult to choose just 9 artists from many applications received. In making my selections, I visited all of your websites and Instagram pages and read all of your statements. In the end, the works selected were those that best aligned with the show and with each other as a cohesive grouping with series of artworks in personal theme and style.
My hope, then, is that these remarkable pieces allow you to see your place not only within individual stories but within a collection of interwoven narratives with MIND & SOUL—petals taped to a wall, a golden craft of red scene, a sea of floral, a stain in textile space, a collection of landscape abstractions, a craft of mosaics, the strokes of digital illustrations, a collection of women woven in nature and so many more striking visual tales to tell.
— Jesno Jackson – Art4you Gallery
Exhibition was Inaugurated by H.E Laila Rahhall El Atfani - President & CEO of Business Gate Dubai, Founder of Women Business Circle, Goodwill Ambassador, The Royal House of Sheba Crown Senator, In the presence of Mr. Mohamed Al Banna- Serial Entrepreneur, Advisor, Mentor, Founder and Group CEO of Lead Ventures, His Excellency Mr. AbdulAziz Ahmad - CEO and Founder - Safeer Corporate Services Provider, UAE Commonwealth Entrepreneurs Club, His Excellency Mr. Yaqoob Al Ali- Executive Director & Private Advisor - Office of H.H Sheikh Juma Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Mr. Ersin Faikzade, Roa Al Madani, Essa Ustadi, Dr. Edyta Skibinska.
Mr. Abdulqader Al Rais, one of the most celebrated personality and No.1 Pioneer Emirati Contemporary Artist in UAE art scene and Mr. Khalil Abdulwahid – Director of Visual Arts, Dubai Culture & Visual Artist, and many more personalities have visited the exhibition and supported the artists with art guided tour throughout the show.
Exhibition officially opened on 25th April and runs until May 2, 2023.
Venue - Picasso Gallery Dubai, B21, Beside Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1, Dubai.
Organised by Art4you & Picasso Gallery, Curated by Jesno Jackson.
