JD Malat Gallery hosts Contemporary Figuration: Between Body and Metaphor exhibition until Jan 27.
The exhibition aims to bring together the works of contemporary painters who explore the body not only as material but also as the embodiment of the immaterial. These artists delve into themes such as the concept of ‘self’, identity, critical race, queer theory, and the technological body. Additionally, the exhibition seeks to illuminate the diverse ways in which various artistic styles of figuration can grapple with the question of how to depict the human subject in today’s context.
In an era where questions surrounding embodied experience are underscored by our interactions with cross-cultural exchange, media, new technologies, and socio-political shifts, the body has taken on a transcendental significance.
Through painterly styles ranging from realism to abstraction and technologically informed practices, the exhibition aims to showcase the expansive breadth of contemporary figurative painting. These works have the capacity to narrate the stories of diverse bodies and their associations – whether polarized, ‘ideal’, natural, technological, liminal, and beyond – while situating them within the nuanced frameworks of posthumanism, Otherness, and diasporic memory.
To foster an open-minded and inclusive experience of the exhibition, the curatorial approach is guided by each artist’s personal response to the theme of ‘Body & Metaphor’. Both represented artists from the gallery’s roster and guest artists are invited to share their perspectives in the accompanying catalogue. This approach champions an artist-centric model of the gallery space, highlighting the gallery as a platform rather than a mere mediator.
