Carbon 12 is hosting The Errantries of Sarah Almehairi and Bernhard Buhmann, a duo exhibition featuring works by Emirati artist Sarah Almehairi and Austrian artist Bernhard Buhmann. This show that explores an unexpected synchronicity between their creations will welcome all visitors until 9 November 2024.
In their latest paintings, both artists embark on profound artistic journeys, embracing adventurous wanderings and rebellious misdirections. By referencing motifs from their earlier works, they draw viewers in with the familiar, guiding them toward new discoveries and connections. For Almehairi, this involves building up layers that weave together but remain “off-centered.” Buhmann, on the other hand, introduces a form of erasure in his recent work.
Almehairi’s intuitive process of layering and mark-making reflects 20th-century minimalist influences, yet her approach focuses on phenomena (roots, weights, silence, the celestial, footsteps) from another perspective, highlighting imperfection and asymmetry. Similarly, Buhmann’s works examine ideas of (im)perfection, with elements intentionally removed, subjecting his mechanical-biomorphic portraits to a sense of tribulation.
To reassemble the fragmented nature of reality created by errantries, Buhmann and Almehairi employ trompe-l’œil, with painted shadows, torn paper, pictures within pictures, and blurred perspectives between foreground and background creating a sense of both gravity and weightlessness. The artists’ shared focus on colour gradations further enhances these shifting boundaries between forms.
In this exhibition, Buhmann and Almehairi colour palettes come into sync, reflecting the mysterious and spontaneous nature of artistic inspiration. Together, they invite viewers to experience the fragile beauty and unexpected intimacies that arise from these unplanned artistic encounters.
About the artists
Sarah Almehairi (b. 1998, Abu Dhabi), who lives and works in her hometown, earned her BA in Art and Art History (Visual Arts Track) from NYU Abu Dhabi in 2019.
Almehairi employs a wide range of mediums, such as mixed media, sculpture, painting, book art, and fibre art, to delve into themes of identity, language, materiality, and memory. Her practice also incorporates poetry, which inspires and appears within her artworks, challenging traditional artistic modes and questioning cultural and social constructs.
The artist has displayed her art pieces in various exhibitions such as Beyond: Emerging Artists (Cromwell Place, London, UK, 2023); Off Centered Pauses (solo) (JJ Joong Jung Gallery, Seoul, South Korea, 2023); When the Ground Was (solo) (CARBON 12, Dubai, 2022); Intimate Dimensions (Hafez Gallery, Jeddah, KSA, 2020); and The Youth Takeover (Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, 2019), to name a few.
Almehairi has undertaken the Cultural Foundation Art Residency (Abu Dhabi) in 2021 and the Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship, Cohort 7 (Abu Dhabi) in 2020. In 2024, the artist became a finalist in the Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here – Richard Mille Art Prize. Her works have been acquired by Jameel Arts Center and Khouri Art Foundation (Dubai).
Bernhard Buhmann (b. 1979, Bregenz, Austria) lives and works in Vienna (Austria). In 2006, he received a Master’s degree in Sociology and Communication Science from the University of Vienna. He also studied painting at the University of Applied Arts (Vienna).
Buhmann, a master of pigment, wields brushes with sociocultural precision. His paintings blend geometric abstraction with figuration, using bright colours and playful forms to challenge viewers’ perceptions. Buhmann’s artworks evoke a sense of curiosity and introspection while offering social commentary.
Buhmann has showcased his works in multiple exhibitions: Jagannath (solo) (Charim, Galerie, Vienna, 2022); Surely Some Revelation Is At Hand (Marinaro, New York, NY, USA, 2020); The Chaser, the Ambusher and the Fickle (solo) (CARBON 12, Dubai, 2019); Influences of Modernism in Austrian Contemporary Art. (Muzeul de Arta Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 2016); and Gute Kunst? Wollen! (Auf AEG, Nuremberg, Germany, 2015), among others.
The artist is a recipient of several awards, which include CCA Andratx, Artist in Residence Program (Mallorca, Spain, 2015), Nomination Kardinal König Kunstpreis (2009), and Strabag Art Award (Vienna, 2008). His creations are part of several public collections, such as the Museum of Young Art (MOYA) in Vienna, the Salsali Private Museum (SPM) in Dubai, and the Pizzuti Collection in Columbus (OH, USA).
To learn more about The Errantries, please go to the show’s official web page.
Additionally, you might be interested in attending I Wish To Be Happy, I Want To Be Yellow, an exhibition at Gallery Isabelle.
