“Drawing and geometry coexist in my practice, where drawing is closest to my thoughts and actions, whereas geometry is more about precise measurements and calculations. For me, an idea is just the beginning for an artwork to come into being. What truly makes it art is continuous practice, making mistakes, and finding their solutions with absolute attentiveness."
Frieze West End Night
Thursday, 12 October 2023
6-8pm
There will be a walkthrough by the artist of the exhibition at 6:30pm.
Mohammad Ali Talpur was born in the Sindh region of Pakistan before moving to Lahore where he studied at the prestigious National College of Arts (NCA). Throughout his career his focus has been calligraphy, abstraction and minimalism. Taken at face value the lines in Talpur’s work possess an optical quality, restricted to a palette of black and white, a reference to the printed page of a book. The combination of line and colour discombobulates the eye, causing the viewer to see flashes of colour and movement within the monochrome canvases.
“You could say that I have developed a kind of colour phobia. For example, red has a history and so does green, and putting these colours on a surface would lead to a plethora of meanings. But a plain, black mark on white surface is more essential and closer to the primary idea. There is nothing extraneous about it. It is what remains after the extra concerns have been filtered.”
Talpur’s arresting canvases have their roots firmly in calligraphic heritage, whilst simultaneously presenting a starkly contemporary aesthetic. Talpur is an exciting artist, whose preoccupation with calligraphy over many years tells a fascinating story.
