Together

About

"Together" is a follow up to my 2015 "Identity & Coexistence” exhibition and concludes my reflections on life at the meeting point of different cultures and traditions. In "Identity & Coexistence" I focused on our identities and indissoluble need to understand one’s own place in today’s increasingly complex world. The works presented this year are a summary of my experience of living in London’s multicultural society and the resulting belief that a happy, peaceful future can only be achieved by coming together.

How to build ourselves a better future is a hot topic. The last 12 months have witnessed the breaking down of communities and an increase in protectionism. Perhaps they show that tolerance and acceptance for new cultures must be mutual and changes to how our society functions should be scrutinised in the context of its own history and tradition.

Yet change is inevitable and while it is natural to fear the unknown, it is ignorant to reject something you know little about and refuse to investigate. It is disappointing that the increased virtualisation of our lives and corresponding access to any and all information is instead creating the "filter bubble" and "fake news" phenomena.

Improving the interconnected and globalised world of today for future generations will require cooperation with others. We ought to get better at identifying and learning from each other’s strengths and concentrating on what unites us, not on what divides us.

The artworks utilise an array of printing techniques - some are prints on acrylic, others on 100% cotton paper with the use of pigment ink, drawing blocks and others. A few works from "Identity & Coexistence" make a deliberate reappearance, albeit in a different spatial arrangement.

Maria