Rough Around the Edges

About

HAndreas M. Georgiou, Alia Bilgrami, Asmaa Hashmi, Julian Dams, Mona Choo, Myrianthe G. Sozou, Samar F. Zia Curated by Samar F. Zia Hanmi Gallery is pleased to announce the 28th Interim exhibition Rough around the Edges, showcasing the work of seven artists with varied subject matter. Taking inspiration from the current state of Hanmi gallery, the derelict interior architecture has a rustic and mortal feel that brings into focus the unique human quality of handmade as opposed to the slick machine or computer generated work of today. Advocating great significance to skill, the work in this exhibition is as much about the process of making as it is about the content. Materiality takes centre stage as the physical effort that has gone into the making comes to the fore as a subject just as important as the concept that drives the artist's practice. Quite often, to conceive an idea is sufficient and making a physical, tangible piece is secondary; materiality and skill are allotted a back seat. This show aims to address the craft versus concept hierarchy as the pieces included exhibit critical thinking via the action and labour that has contributed to the materialization of the work. As an ode to the artists of yesteryears, the artists in this group show recognise the importance of manual labour, skill and making in art. Extrapolating from the technical expertise of the artists of bygone times, this group show will emphasise the careful deliberation on construction and materiality as a means of acknowledging craft as a mandatory element of contemporary art. My aim, for this exhibition, has been to look for artists who have spent significant time in arriving at the final material used to resolve their work while engaging with the process of making. Each artist in this group has painstakingly put together their piece(s), be it through hammering, connecting points, layering paint, building with gauze or projecting their physical being onto their creation.