Opening: Nov 7th Saturday 6-11pm
Synesthesia is pleased to present “SAFE SPACE,” the first solo exhibition of Walid Shaharul curated by roosi. A total of 10 oil paintings and several works on paper will be shown in Synesthesia’s gallery space in Bushwick, New York City.
Shaharul’s paintings at once attract and confront viewers with their distinctive aesthetics of familiarity, perversity, and opposition. Often working with oil paints, Shaharul combines subconscious impulses with scenes of everyday life, resulting in what he describes as “visual contradictions.” The title of the show “SAFE SPACE,” is in itself a contradiction. Shaharul’s paintings that portray his friends and loved ones in brightly-colored rooms and comfortable settings are not what they appear to be. The figures, some standing and some supine, have distorted facial features to evoke a sense of emotional isolation or imponderable problem. The compositional mystique is only enhanced by the swaths of heavy color-blocking that entraps these figures as they seemingly undergo subtle social shifts that accompany life in a period of crisis.
A noticeable chasm that divides the subjects from their surroundings is Shaharul’s selection of bright background colors. “The colors I choose are bright and attractive. Bright colors, in some sense, are meant to bring positive and joyful feelings. But there is a sense of distress in the compositions because the walls, the floors and ceiling are all one color. So instead of those joyful feelings, it feels overwhelming, torturing and exhaustive. A not so safe space,” says Shaharul.
While these paintings are marked by Shaharul’s restrained nature and lurid sense of the absurd, they also attest his abilities in capturing the intricacies of the human form in oil paint. The artist toys with the intimacy and vulnerability of his subjects and their appearance through surrealist variations on mundane routines such as sitting, working, running, swimming and sleeping. He brings these attractively unusual images to life by digging deep into his mind to translate prosaic moments into well-articulated profundities.
Artist bio
Walid Shaharul is a painter born and raised in New York City. Entirely self-taught, Shaharul began painting oil on canvas works back in 2018. The artist specializes in creating figurative paintings that depict family members, friends and imagined subjects. Across his works are geometric and surreal impositions that introduce varying moods. Oftentimes, there is an underlying ominous presence in his works that recall the motifs found in the tormented and unsettling imagery of Francis Bacon. When he is not painting, Shaharul develops works on paper that act as studies for his next paintings.
About Synesthesia
Synesthesia is an art gallery located in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Synesthesia presents exhibitions, experimental music, film, and cultural workshops. Our mission is to build a local community through the arts in Bushwick and to provide a platform for artists to showcase experimental works. http://synesthesia.space/
About roosi
roosi was formed with the intention to connect fine art to everyone. The art industry is often perceived as “exclusive” or “unreachable” by many people, roosi aims to shift traditional views of fine art and dismantle its longstanding ideals. roosi values diversity, community, and aims to bring the luxuries of the art world to those who don’t fit the conventional mold. https://roosi.org/