Shaan Tariq Hassan Syed, Licking Forward Tangerine

About

noshowspace is pleased to present Licking Forward Tangerine, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Shaan Tariq Hassan Syed.

Licking Forward Tangerine is an installation of paintings each characterised by a pair of black vertical lines on largely bare canvas. The line markings are lightly applied often in a single wide stroke, they provide a vertical division of space to the paintings that also acts as a double central axis. Colour is introduced in additional shorter lines that appear to branch or swing out from the central axes, accompanied by flat white arc shapes that follow their line of motion. It is this logic and sense of automation that defines and simultaneously negates the space of the paintings on the unprimed canvas.

The coloured markings lend a graphical quality to the structure that can be read as a cartoonish rendering of a sign or flag semaphore signalling to you with flailing arms. Meanwhile the arc shapes lay one on top of the other, in flat perspective one space passing into another. It is between this play on spatial and graphical elements, axis lines, painted and bare canvas that Syed challenges notions of abstraction and finds space to paint.

Shaan Tariq Hassan Syed (b. 1975 Toronto) lives and works in London. Syed graduated from Goldsmiths College London in 2006 with a series of paintings that grew from looking at empty concert stages. His work since then has explored notions of absence and presence in painterly space. Recent solo exhibitions include: Galerie Michael Janssen, Berlin (2014); Ana Cristea Gallery, NY (2014); Vous Etes Ici, Amsterdam (2013); Birch Libralato, Toronto (2013) and group exhibitions: DRAF, London (2015); Patrick de Brock Gallery, Belgium (2014).

A publication will accompany the exhibition. For further information contact info@noshowspace.com, +44(0)20 7613 0089 or www.noshowspace.com  Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.