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19 DECEMBER 2024 - 1 FEBRUARY
Pilot Gallery is pleased to present "Garden Reimagined," a solo exhibition of new works by acclaimed artist Hamra Abbas. This exhibition presents a series of marble inlays that reimagine the idea of garden as a site of both historical and personal memory.
Abbas, renowned for her intricate and evocative works that explore themes of displacement, identity, and the passage of time, employs a meticulous approach to craft, drawing inspiration from both historical and contemporary sources. "Garden Reimagined" invites viewers to contemplate the garden as a metaphor for the human experience, a space of both beauty and fragility, growth and decay. The works, meticulously created with stones like lapis lazuli, serpentine, jasper, evoke a sense of wonder and contemplation, inviting viewers to engage with the interplay of history, memory, and the natural world.
Inspired by the various cities in which she has resided, including Berlin and Boston, she preferred ephemeral and lightweight mediums, including easily portable paper, video or performances. After returning to her native Pakistan in 2015, the artist underwent a profound change. She became interested in the technique of marble inlay (pietra dura) and embraced an important form of expression that evokes a sense of belonging to her home and cultural heritage, whereby temporality turns to permanence.
The use of semi-precious lapis lazuli is an important part of Abbas’ creative process. Last year she learned a 14th-century Italian technique to produce lapis lazuli ultra-marine pigment that she uses here to create her work “Porters 1”. Abbas continues to create portraits of marginalized people throughout her artistic practice.
About Hamra Abbas
Her work is part of significant collections: the British Museum, Royal Ontario Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, USA Art In Embassies Collection, Burger Collection, Koç Foundation, Borusan Foundation, Kadist Collection, Kiran Nader Museum of Art, King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), Art Jameel Collection, Zayed National Museum, Art Mill Museum, Dubai Collection, EXPO 2020. Her practice encompasses a wide range of media, including sculpture, installation, and video. Abbas is an Honoree of the Asia Arts Game Changer Awards 2021. She is the recipient of the Jury prize at Sharjah Biennial 9, and the Abraaj Capital Art Prize in 2011.