Over the years Vincent Abadie Hafez aka Zepha practice has expanded from its urban beginnings to the gallery wall, but a responsiveness to the built environment, borne of a deep study of each locale, remains central. For this new body of paintings, the artist uses a superplasticizer mixed with cement, rubble, and sand from the streets of Dubai—the raw materials of the city—to create texturally rich canvases. The surfaces are then worked over in his characteristic caligraffiti style which he originated in the 1990’s. Borne out of his twinned interests in Arabic calligraphy and street art, its inherent ephemerality is acutely suited to a city defined by its transience. Brush strokes are supplanted with marks made by scrap woods from nearby construction sites, which are then further repurposed into a sculptural bas-relief triptych.
For his upcoming solo exhibition at The Mine gallery in Dubai, the French artist will unveil a new body of work featuring some of his signature calligraphy based imagery. The preview list can be requested at [email protected]
If you are in the area, the show opens on Monday, December 19th 7PM at The Mine Gallery – Street 8A, Warehouse 38, Al Quoz 1 in Dubai.
Take a look below for more preview images on this new body of work and then make sure to let us know your thoughts down in our comments section.
comment