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Lot Essay
Born in Um Al-Fahem to a Palestinian family and living in Tel Aviv, Asim Abu Shakra’s world is one of politics, identity and conflict. His life, one that was too short and too heavy, is portrayed boldly through his paintings. Despite passing away at just twenty-eight, Abu Shakra is considered to be one of the most brilliant artists of his time.
Asim Abu Shakra’s work can be described as being intimately political. The black paint and wide violent brushstrokes depicting otherwise mundane objects provide a glimpse of understanding into his mind. The cactus, a symbol of Palestinian resistance and resilience, becomes the centre of Abu Shakra’s oeuvre. However, Abu Shakra domesticates it, putting it in a pot near a window sill in some of his works. This scene was one that Abu Shakra has seen in real life, but he also reproduced it in his work as it resonated with him as a Palestinian living in Tel Aviv.
During the 1980s, Abu Shakra produces a series of paintings depicting garters alongside another group of works on neckties. Both series are depictions of western garmets that do not necessarily hold much weight when one sees the whole outfit. However Abu Shakra gives these accessories a heavy presence. Using black brushstrokes and thick layers of white paint, this garter, a flimsy piece of cloth, becomes heavy, as if one was wearing cuffs that weighed as much as a large rock. When seen in the context of the other paintings, such as his portrait of a man wearing a buttoned collar or the series of neckties, the transformation of these small insignificant accessories into controlling instruments that dictate and limit the individuals becomes clearer. In all of Abu Shakra’s painting the tiny and the mundane is given a lot more significance and a lot more weight than otherwise one could imagine.
Asim Abu Shakra’s work can be described as being intimately political. The black paint and wide violent brushstrokes depicting otherwise mundane objects provide a glimpse of understanding into his mind. The cactus, a symbol of Palestinian resistance and resilience, becomes the centre of Abu Shakra’s oeuvre. However, Abu Shakra domesticates it, putting it in a pot near a window sill in some of his works. This scene was one that Abu Shakra has seen in real life, but he also reproduced it in his work as it resonated with him as a Palestinian living in Tel Aviv.
During the 1980s, Abu Shakra produces a series of paintings depicting garters alongside another group of works on neckties. Both series are depictions of western garmets that do not necessarily hold much weight when one sees the whole outfit. However Abu Shakra gives these accessories a heavy presence. Using black brushstrokes and thick layers of white paint, this garter, a flimsy piece of cloth, becomes heavy, as if one was wearing cuffs that weighed as much as a large rock. When seen in the context of the other paintings, such as his portrait of a man wearing a buttoned collar or the series of neckties, the transformation of these small insignificant accessories into controlling instruments that dictate and limit the individuals becomes clearer. In all of Abu Shakra’s painting the tiny and the mundane is given a lot more significance and a lot more weight than otherwise one could imagine.