Chance Encounters, Edition 4

Around the world in 7 works of art

Loribelle Spirovski (Filipino-Australian, b. 1990): Homme No. 294, 2022. Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 in. ©Loribelle Spirovski. Arcadia Contemporary, New York.

Recently I took a journey through the international art world - from my chair. One of the advantages of the digital world is that it allows us to explore far beyond the limits of our own communities. For this journey, I chose to focus on representational art made within the last few years. I also wanted to find examples from diverse individuals, with the only requirement that the work be focused on depicting the world in some recognizable way.

Given my broad criteria and the incredible variety of approaches undertaken by artists today, it’s not surprising that there are few links among the works I’ve chosen to share with you today. Except for Sigalit Landau’s video, I selected two dimensional works in traditional media, printmaking, photography, oil and acrylic paint on paper or canvas. Two of these 7 artists, Landau and Lee Seahyun, make works which focus explicitly on political territorial conflicts, with Lee depicting the Korean Demilitarized Zone and Landau working with and in the Dead Sea. Three artists, Kaleab Abate, Alia Ali, and Loribelle Spirovski, play with identity by depicting human figures which are partially or completely obscured. Finally, four artists incorporate abstraction into otherwise realistic images, Abate and Spirovski who work with human figures and Alice Quaresma and the team of Thukral & Tagra, whose works incorporate nature.

I deliberately haven’t commented extensively or interpreted these works, so please share your thoughts and opinions about them.

Alice Quaresma (Brazilian, b. 1985): Just To Be Dramatic, 2023. Photographic print on cotton paper with acrylic paint and color pencil, 30 × 45 in. ©Alice Quaresma. Pablo’s Birthday, New York.

Kaleab Abate (Ethiopian): My own Assumptions I, 2022. Mixed media on paper, 24 x 16.7 in. @Kaleab Abate. Afriart Gallery, Kampala, Uganda.

Lee Seahyun (South Korean, b. 1967): Between Red 020JAN01, 2020. Oil on linen, 59 1/10 x 59 1/10 in. ©Lee Seahyun. Atelier Aki, Seoul.

Thukral & Tagra (Jiten Thukral (Indian, b. 1976) and Sumir Tagra (Indian, b. 1979)): Arboretum 4 - Azadirachta Indica, 2022. Oil on canvas with artist-made wooden stretcher, 83.5 x 81 in. ©Thukral & Tagra. Nature Morte Gallery, New Delhi.

Alia Ali (Yemeni-Bosnian-American, b. 1985): East, 2023. Archival pigment print, mounted, UV laminated, frame upholstered by the artist, 68 × 55 1/2 × 3 in. ©Alia Ali. Octavia Gallery, New Orleans.

Sigalit Landau (Israeli, b. 1969): DeadSee, 2005. Excerpt from video. The film was shot in mid- August 2004 in Dead Sea in the area of Sodom, south of Masada. ©Sigalit Landau.