Oliver Schwarzwald and Nawwar Shukriah Ali: On Circles and Katharsis
Welcome to this mini exhibition 😆 Six works from two artists, Hamburg-based Oliver Schwarzwald, and Nawwar Shukriah Ali, from Kuala Lumpur.
So how did this come about? Honestly, it's not because we were actively searching for artists working with funky acrylic shapes in nature 😂
One of the brilliant things about being an online platform is that we're open to artists from all over the world. We're not just restricted to local artists like some physical spaces. It means we have the joy of discovering two artists that seem on the surface very different, but who are exploring similar themes or using similar processes, and putting them together. Oliver sent me his On Circles series several months ago - an experimental project he was enjoying working on in his spare time. A few months later, Nawwar sent Liezel her Katharsis series. Both emails were just a "hey this is what I've been up to" type communication, neither artist thought we'd do anything with them.
Something clicked with me. The magic of two artists, from across the globe, who have never heard of each other, crafting acrylic shapes, then photographing them, to express something that concerns them personally - it's incredible, right? Even twenty years ago, they'd have worked away in entirely separate silos, and now their work can be brought together in dialogue with each other. They can enrich each other.
What I loved the most is how the playfulness of Nawwar's series and the delicacy of Oliver's work interact. One illuminates the other, and together they become even more special. Every time I look at their works situated next to each other, I smile.
I thought I'd ask both artists about their inspiration and process, to illustrate this dialogue a little bit more. We hope you enjoy this selection. Artworks can also be sold framed, or specially mounted. We want to make it easy for you to have this beautiful art in your home!
As always, we're here for a conversation - hello@subjectmatterart.com
- Kitty
Inspiration
Nawwar: These photographs are a part of my Katharsis series, so the inspiration came from self reflections at the beach. It's a part of a cleansing ritual that I usually do; a healing ritual for me at the beach every time, where I reflect on life, life around me at the present moment. I go for a dip to clean myself and let go of things that weigh me down.