Curator's Note
Keren Shalev’s exhibition for unperceived existence is a physical
outpouring of her internal mental landscape. We are presented with
intimate portraits of moods and emotions drawn and painted in
monochrome colours – gritty charcoal, silky paint, shimmering graphite.
Textures are poured onto paper, sometimes shouting, though the
words are indiscernible.
As digital images this collection of drawings appear larger than life – brash and bold brush strokes dominate the paper creating linear and organic structures and shapes – yet in real life we are presented with drawings of a much more intimate scale. They draw us in, forcing us to move closer to them - as in reality the shouts are moody whispers.
In a space such as gallery shush this presents a particular dilemma. It is a
dominating space and there is a risk the drawings will be swallowed up -
lost amongst the brick with textures melting into textures. Yet the
harshness of the bare brick also complements the rawness of the drawings.
The curatorial premise became how to provide a structure for the drawings
to hang while also creating enough distance from the gallery walls to give
them the space they needed to breathe. The result uses a simple system of
wooden beams which play with shadows and structure, mirroring the
themes drawn from Shalev’s drawings and giving them a platform for each
mood and whisper to be discerned.
Laura Bradshaw-Heap
September 2018