Ayesha Sultana: Fragility and Resilience

The first major solo show in the GCC for the Bangladesh-born US-based artist. Her practice spans drawing, painting and sculpture, “exploring the material and conceptual possibilities of form and medium … Sultana proposes that fragility can be a form of strength while encompassing profound vulnerability. This thematic exploration is particularly pertinent in the contemporary world as social, ecological and personal upheavals continually test the limits of sustainability”.

The exhibition has new oil paintings, watercolours on Japanese silk tissue, works on clay-coated paper, hand-blown glass sculptures, and some past photographic explorations. Interestingly, there’s also a hint of the creative process through the inclusion of sketchbooks, diaries, in-progress artworks and an unfinished video. This kind of soul-baring is all too rare in conventional gallery shows; sometimes it can get in the way of the works themselves, but obviously there will be occasions when the artist (and/or the gallerist) understands that it might provide additional insights. As the blurb puts it, these additions “reveal the meticulous planning, experimentation and emotional investment underlying each finished piece, highlighting the fragility and resilience inherent in all creative acts … The exhibition reflects the fluidity and openness that characterise Sultana’s approach to art, allowing viewers to witness the raw, unpolished stages of her creative journey”.

To 7 December.

Above: Ayesha Sultana, Inhabiting Our Bodies (2024). Below: Ayesha Sultana, Nightfall (2022)