April 22–May 21, 2022
Steve Turner is pleased to present Waters That Never Quench, a solo exhibition by London-based painter Shadi Al-Atallah that features new imaginary self-portraits which position the artist in hellish domestic settings. Dark, dynamic and distorted figures seek to convey the absurdity of conflicting emotional states. The paintings consist of brush strokes quickly made, a technique that the artist describes as necessary to convey their thoughts and attitudes. They use painting to escape the constraints of language and to invent genderless figures that embody an ambiguity that language rarely grants. In so doing, they convey Al-Atallah’s ideas on gender and sexuality while remaining obscure enough so that viewers can connect with the works on their own terms.
Shadi Al-Atallah (born 1994, Saudi Arabia) earned a BA at the University of the Arts, London (2018) before earning an MA at the Royal College of Art, London (2021). They have had solo exhibitions at Guts Gallery, London (2021); Hammond Projects, London (2020) and Cob Gallery, London (2018). This the artist’s debut solo exhibition in the United States.
Born 1994, Saudi Arabia
Lives and works in London
Education
2021
MFA, Royal College of Art, London
2018
BFA, University of the Arts, London
Solo Exhibitions
2022
Waters That Never Quench, Steve Turner, Los Angeles
2021
I LOST THE TITLE ON THE PLANE, Guts Gallery, London
2019
Fuck I’m Stuck, J Hammond Projects, London
2018
Roadblocks, Cob Gallery, London
Group Exhibitions
2022
NEXT, Christie’s, London (upcoming)
PM/AM, London (upcoming)
2021
Victoria Miro x OUT Collective, Vortic XR, Virtual
Reality Check, Guts Gallery, London
Guts Gallery Introducting, Sadie Coles HQ, London
2020
Begin Again, Guts Gallery, London
Paintings on, and, with paper, Cob Gallery, London
When Shit Hits the Fan, Guts Gallery, London
NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT, Public Gallery, London
Alter Ego, Unit London, London
2019
The Head The Hand, Blank Projects, Cape Town, South Africa
2018
BBZ BLK BK, Copeland Gallery, London
Bibliography
2022
Frankel, Eddy. “Blob,” Trolley Books
2021
Lordi, Emily. “The Black Recovery Stories Speaking to Individual and Collective Wellness,” The New York Times, September
2020
Wortham, Jenna and Drew, Kimberly. “Black Futures,” Oneworld Publications
