Sacha Jafri: Disappearing Landscapes
1 Jun 2007 - 31 Jul 2007
Alexia Goethe Gallery presents Sacha Jafri, one of the most exciting young British painters on the contemporary scene. With recent international sell-out shows, Jafri’s new solo show in London, Disappearing Landscapes, expresses a certain fragility in our environment, drawing our attention to views and vistas that may not be around for much longer. Yet the collection is neither foreboding nor morose, but is instead a celebration of the energy, atmosphere and beauty of both our rural and urban landscapes.
The show has a particular focus on London’s landscapes which, through continued regeneration, are ever-changing. Jafri draws our attention to these vistas, reminding us that particular viewpoints of the city’s most famous landmarks (such as the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge) are changing and disappearing. At the same time, Jafri’s large scale, oil on canvas paintings invite us to open our eyes and re-examine these icons, expelling any inevitable ambivalence we may have towards them – a fated eventuality when one lives in this city. When reviewing Sacha’s work, the art critic and author, Chris Townsend explains, ‘the city dweller, jaded by experience, once again sees urban life as enchanted, as if seeing it for the first time through the eyes of a child or a young lover’.
Jafri creates harmonies of colour, rhythm and expression which evolve from personal narratives. His painting, however, is not all about the finished product; it is about the passion and energy that goes into a piece of work and the process in which it is created. Few artists have the nerve to reveal this process yet, on numerous occasions, Jafri has produced works of art in front of a live audience including a 5,000 strong crowd at The Royal Albert Hall.
Jafri, whose paintings now sell from between £25,000 - £90,000 is inspired by ‘Magical Realist’ writers such as Garcia Marquez, Franz Kafka, William Burroughs and Salman Rushdie. His pieces are the physical results of his own investigative journey, painting what is real and what is beautiful, not what is learn-ed nor shocking. In an era dominated by conceptualism, Jafri wants to draw our attention once again to painting. As arts writer Jane Hughes says, ‘anyone questioning the future of painting – and indeed, wondering whether painters today have anything new to say – should take a look at the collection of work from Jafri’….[here we have] a crystallisation of a formidable talent.”
Sacha Jafri says, ‘I am delighted to be showing my latest body of work Disappearing Landscapes at Alexia Goethe Gallery. Alexia has a formidable reputation within the art world of dealing with both emerging artists and some of the biggest names in contemporary and modern markets. To have a solo show at a space linked with names such as Joan Miró, Fernand Léger and Raoul Dufy is a huge privilege. It is also of great relevance I have been afforded the opportunity to exhibit in the heart of London, as it has such a large bearing and influence on Disappearing Landscapes.’
The show has a particular focus on London’s landscapes which, through continued regeneration, are ever-changing. Jafri draws our attention to these vistas, reminding us that particular viewpoints of the city’s most famous landmarks (such as the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge) are changing and disappearing. At the same time, Jafri’s large scale, oil on canvas paintings invite us to open our eyes and re-examine these icons, expelling any inevitable ambivalence we may have towards them – a fated eventuality when one lives in this city. When reviewing Sacha’s work, the art critic and author, Chris Townsend explains, ‘the city dweller, jaded by experience, once again sees urban life as enchanted, as if seeing it for the first time through the eyes of a child or a young lover’.
Jafri creates harmonies of colour, rhythm and expression which evolve from personal narratives. His painting, however, is not all about the finished product; it is about the passion and energy that goes into a piece of work and the process in which it is created. Few artists have the nerve to reveal this process yet, on numerous occasions, Jafri has produced works of art in front of a live audience including a 5,000 strong crowd at The Royal Albert Hall.
Jafri, whose paintings now sell from between £25,000 - £90,000 is inspired by ‘Magical Realist’ writers such as Garcia Marquez, Franz Kafka, William Burroughs and Salman Rushdie. His pieces are the physical results of his own investigative journey, painting what is real and what is beautiful, not what is learn-ed nor shocking. In an era dominated by conceptualism, Jafri wants to draw our attention once again to painting. As arts writer Jane Hughes says, ‘anyone questioning the future of painting – and indeed, wondering whether painters today have anything new to say – should take a look at the collection of work from Jafri’….[here we have] a crystallisation of a formidable talent.”
Sacha Jafri says, ‘I am delighted to be showing my latest body of work Disappearing Landscapes at Alexia Goethe Gallery. Alexia has a formidable reputation within the art world of dealing with both emerging artists and some of the biggest names in contemporary and modern markets. To have a solo show at a space linked with names such as Joan Miró, Fernand Léger and Raoul Dufy is a huge privilege. It is also of great relevance I have been afforded the opportunity to exhibit in the heart of London, as it has such a large bearing and influence on Disappearing Landscapes.’