Faatimah Mohamed-Luke: ReCollection
Faatimah Mohamed-Luke: ReCollection
April 8 – May 13, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jenn Singer is pleased to present Faatimah Mohamed-Luke: ReCollection, an online solo exhibition of new wall sculptures by South African artist Faatimah Mohamed-Luke.
Mohamed-Luke asks the question, “what would it look like if our artworks were looted today”? With the intention of creating modern day African antiquities, the artist known for her wall sculptures created with Lego-like building blocks, was inspired by the joy and nostalgia that came from growing up in South Africa the 1990s.
The artist’s vibrant color palette is informed by the era’s iconic toys and sweets of her childhood in her home country; Gesiggies (“face sweets”), Zoo biscuits, Chappies bubble gum, Jelly Babies, Liquorice allsorts, Kewpie dolls, Troll dolls and My Little Pony.
Faatimah Mohamed-Luke celebrates the sweetness of her 90s childhood along with love and pride for her home continent, while acknowledging that “there is no shortage of painful memories that come from growing up in South Africa. However, most of my childhood memories involve beach days with a striped umbrella and running between the colourful houses in BoKaap to the corner shop to buy sweets”.
With an ever-sunny outlook, the bright pops of color and smooth glossy texture of Mohamed- Luke’s plastic medium fit right in with her archetypal African masks, figures and textures – and before us we see the artist’s nostalgia-filled antiquities of the future.
Visit jennsingergallery.com beginning April 8, 2021 to view Faatimah Mohamed-Luke: ReCollection or email info@jennsingergallery.com for more information about the artist and her work.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
FAATIMAH MOHAMED-LUKE (lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa)
Faatimah Mohamed-Luke is a visual artist and designer whose aim is to reintroduce the art form of tessellation in a thoroughly modern way, utilizing plastic building blocks to create large scale artworks. She enjoys challenging the views of materiality and what constitutes an artistic medium, while elevating the humble children's toy into a nostalgic visual feast.
Mohamed-Luke’s chosen medium allows for a playfulness and accessibility within the artwork and a democratization within the art world. Faatimah’s need to foster accessibility has led to numerous public installations, one of which won a Loerie award. She hopes to constantly blur the line between art and design as she evolves and grows on her journey through various creative avenues.
While on holiday in Morocco several years ago, Faatimah Mohamed-Luke fell in love with ornate, intricate abstract patterns. It was everywhere - every surface was painstakingly adorned to perfection. She loved how much pride the locals artists and artisans took in creating such beauty and how much its citizens and tourists appreciated it. It spoke to different parts of Mohamed- Luke’s heritage - African and Arab:
“It was the first time I had witnessed parts of my heritage living together so gracefully. This is where I discovered the art of tessellation i.e. a highly symmetric, edge-to-edge tiling using a simple porcelain shape. The porcelain tile used to create mosaics didn’t really resonate with me, so I looked to a more unusual basic shape. Playing with my little human, lead me to Lego and eventually to a locally manufactured block which could be made in specific tones just for me. My hope is to highlight and recreate the art form of tessellation in a modern way using plastic building blocks.”
Mohamed-Luke has created landscapes, portraits and abstracts with building blocks, as one would with any other art medium. “What I love most about it, is that it is a non-traditional art medium and comes with no expectations, but it has its own unique set of challenges. I believe that challenging an already established environment and challenging society is an essential part of an artist’s work and this medium helps me to do that by starting the conversation, ‘But is it art’. I also hope that my ability to exhibit and make a living from my art allows others the freedom and courage to experiment with new media.”
Faatimah Mohamed-Luke’s work has been exhibited in South Africa, the USA and Europe and is held in international private and public collections including JP Morgan Chase and Amazon.
ABOUT THE GALLERY
Jenn Singer opened the doors of her jewel box gallery in New York City’s historic Gramercy Park neighborhood in 2015. We have since grown to an expanded, international online-based presence.
We proudly represent a diverse, international program of contemporary artists. Our online gallery provides a selection of available artwork, however we have an expanded selection of work available on request from artists around the world. We also serve as a source for established and blue chip modern and contemporary artists for placement in public & private collections.
Jenn Singer’s artists & exhibitions have been featured in Wallpaper*, Cultured Magazine, Cosmopolitan, VICE - The Creators Project, The Huffington Post, Glamour Spain and Hi-Fructose Magazine, among others.
Collectors and our colleagues in the trade appreciate our expertise and global reach, as we make sourcing & collecting art easy, though our services reach well beyond this, including trade accounts, custom framing, commissions and installations, commercial representation and secondary market acquisitions.
To learn more about Jenn Singer’s online gallery and our artists, visit jennsingergallery.com and stay in touch by signing up for our newsletter.
For additional images / information, please email info@jennsingergallery.com.
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