Volery Gallery in Dubai invites everyone to visit Enigma, a group show curated by Rom Levy, a French art dealer and curator. It includes nine established contemporary artists: Ana Barriga, Marcela Florido, Hoda Kashiha, Suanjaya Kencut, Miju Lee, Ly, Fika Leon, Tania Marmolejo, and Aokabi Saya. The exhibition will be open to the public until May 3, 2023.
The participating artists working in various mediums delves into the mystery of human expression. They explore its enigma in characters not only from urban and rural settings, but also imagined worlds. Through the characters’ lens, they also raise and examine questions of gender, politics, and social issues. Renaissance icons, anime characters, and disfigured daily acquaintances are brought together in a single show, each artwork encouraging viewers to try to see what lies behind the brushstrokes and the universes the depicted figures hide in their features.
About the artists
Ana Barriga (b.1984, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain) resides in Madrid. She believes that a hidden life exists within us, where our desires, dreams, hopes, and frustrations live. The characters in her art pieces, which are full of irony, humour, and playfulness, convey riddles and encrypted messages from the “other world”.
Marcela Florido (b. 1988, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) lives and works in New York, USA. Working with large scale paintings, she questions modern concepts of the body’s representation and its relationship to the Brazilian context.
Hoda Kashiha (b. 1986, Tehran, Iran) resides in Tehran. In her art pieces, she addresses such subjects in the socio-political climate of Tehran as identity, femininity, and gender issues. Through fragmented narratives, dark humor, and mythological, religious, and modern icons, the artist meets with difficult moments of her personal and political life.
Suanjaya Kencut (I Putu Adi Suanjaya) (b. 1994, Bali, Indonesia) lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. His art practice involves painting, sculpting, and installations. Kencut draws his inspiration from the traditional Balinese art and modern art installations. The dolls are the main subjects in his work.
Miju Lee (b. 1982, Busan, South Korea) is an artist and illustrator living in Busan. The main theme she explores in her art is human emotions. Using traditional and 3D mediums, the artist illustrates fleeting moments that represent the individual memories and feelings that we all experience.
Ly (b. 1981, Tokyo, Japan) draws her inspiration from mural paintings and graffiti. She paints monochromatic cityscapes featuring supernatural characters which represent her emotions, memories, and imagination.
Fika Leon (b. 1993, Indonesia) resides in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Using bright colours and different textures and techniques, he creates stories of identity, reflection, and self-portrayal. His abstract paintings depict human faces, still lifes, and landscapes.
Tania Marmolejo (b. 1975, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Swedish-Dominican American artist based in New York, USA. Exploring gender and identity issues, she creates paintings depicting ambiguous female facial expressions.
Aokabi Saya was born in 1997 in Japan, where she still lives. Her acrylic paintings depict mostly female characters heavily inspired by anime from her childhood (anime from ‘90s, to be precise).
To learn more about the Enigma exhibition, please visit its official web page.
You might also be interested in visiting Raise Vibration in Infinity des Lumières.
