To the Barbican's Curve gallery to see a dark, dramatic exhibition - Where The Shadows Are So Deep, by Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi. This exhibition is very theatrically staged, and there is real sense of menace with the dark lighting punctuated by the small, spotlit, irregularly hung miniature paintings, and the traces of what appears to be blood spatters on the floor and dripping down the walls. The paintings are exquisite renderings of trees and nature-inspired imagery which take on a darker tone the further you progress into the curved gallery space. The work is a reflection of Qureshi's preoccupation with violence in the world. The very earth itself seems to be bleeding in the later miniatures, as the trees are torn apart and the painting surfaces are spattered with feathery stylised blood. In certain areas the 'blood' is so stylised it takes on the appearance of feathery petals. I liked the introduction of gold leaf into some of the paintings and the way it was reflected by the low level lighting in the gallery.
Imran Qureshi: Where The Shadows Are So Deep
until 10th July
The Curve
Barbican
London
www.barbican.org.uk
