Why Paula Rego’s retrospective was my favourite exhibition in 2021

What makes a good artist? It kind of seems like an overplayed question that’s been done to death, who decides it deserves praise to be at a high-end gallery? How is it decided; via the very few who are the gatekeepers in the elitist art world? Why is it decided; flavour of the month, a trend that will likely to sell? With anything that is considered ‘great’ and stands the grasp of time, modern art needs time to sit, age, and endure periods of time, especially when peoples’ views, perceptions, and ideas of the world change faster than ever before. Will the artwork mature like wine or become stale like beer?

‘Sleeping, 1987

This state of flux and everything feeling temporary is hardly a new concept, moreover, it’s easier than ever before to discard something that becomes outdated, politically incorrect, or out of touch, despite its aesthetic qualities. It almost feels as if art nowadays has become a commodified entertainment business, that delights the rich with the occasional name dropping at a dinner party “Me and Karen went to the Lubaina Himid show, oh it was so delightful”, or it enrages the working class with played out lines like “That’s just a bed in a gallery, I could do that”. At least there’s one good thing that comes out of all this, it gets people talking about art, either good or bad. 

When I was trying to describe Paula Rego's art to a friend of mine earlier this year from the work I've seen in different galleries over the years, I realised the cheap sales pitch I used to describe why I liked her work. “I love the gestures of body language in her work, they are so alive!”. When I look back to when I said this after seeing her oeuvre and understanding it a bit more than just surface-level understanding, I feel there is far more to it than just that. Her work is multi-dimensional, layered with narratives and symbolism that confronts the viewer with a reflected awkwardness.  

‘The Raft, 1985’

Over seven decades of the artwork shown in multiple rooms across Tate Britain, you get a sense of Paula Rego’s intentions as an artist. Exploring subject matters such as; the dynamics between men and women, female gentile mutilation, abortion, death and she cleverly depicts the souls of these people, opposed to just painting portraits of them. 

What I love about her work is how confrontational it is through layers of visual metaphors and codes that are embedded with a dark, uncomfortable narrative. You see it, but you are not sure if what you are questioning is what Rego is communicating. There are hints of revulsion, innocence, violence, and fantasy that tempt you to think her work is more than just a one-dimensional, theatre trick. You deliberately hesitate, regaining faith in another perspective of how you should interpret this painting, but it’s no good; a regurgitating flow of familiarity from the last painting starts to join the dots and you resume outside your comfort zone. Seeing a lot of her most important work in one show challenged me to question a duality between what you want to see and what is being shown.  

‘Return of the Native’, 1993

As you enter the first room of the exhibition, you’re immediately drawn to an expressive, politically conscious painting that has echoes of the murky tones of Edvard Munch called; ‘Interrogation’ (See below). Paula Rego was just 15 years old when she made this in 1950, yet brilliantly captures the human soul in despair via a contorted woman’s body (Think of Egon Schiele) in context to what was happening at the time with the Estrado Novo regime in Portugal oppressing many people. To paint this at such a young age at such a difficult time is truly brave and mature. This piece is really good because she voices her frustration with the state system via a woman who is experiencing imprisonment and torture. The levels of execution are good, but as you see how her works develop later on in life, you see how she holds onto the idea of political consciousness in her work of justice and questions it.   

‘Interrogation’, 1950

She continues with the same theme but applied it in drawings. These however are from her memories and unconscious fears. 

In the same room, another highlight was the title was taken from a racist and murderous comment made by a Portuguese fascist; ‘When we had a house in the country we’d throw marvelous parties and then we’d go out and shoot black people.’ 1961 (Below). She felt appalled by Portugal’s colonial stance that intensified military operations in Mozambique and Angola that resulted in brutal outcomes. When I was looking at this painting, I could see influences from Jean Dubuffet, Cy Twombly via the approach of mark-making. She depicts a contrast between the colonisers, the privileged life, and the people being abused. This was done via the use of colour and space (the lighter, creamier colours seem to float, in relation to the dark overwhelming sense of impending doom. Again, Paula Rego sympathizes with victims in a society that is undeniably imbalanced and morally wrong. I was always told that an effective exhibition must have a strong start, or piece and here the curators got it bang on.   

‘When we had a house in the country we’d throw marvellous parties and then we’d go out and shoot black people.’ 1961

There is so much energy and spontaneity in her work as you progress to the other rooms, it’s almost like she found a new voice by adding more cartoon-like outlines, yet violently expressive figures and simplified colours. She claimed that these were her most intimate paintings that look at the relational dynamics between man and woman.    

‘Red Monkey Offers Bear a Poisoned Dove’, 1981

Her ideas become bolder as she gets older where you can see influences from Velázquez with how she applies to tone and texture, but also by depicting more animals in her work, something that I’ve used quite a bit in my artwork over the years. From my experience, using animals instead of humans and the relationships we have with animals as a metaphor in artworks can be wildly playful. For Paula Rego she explains that; “wanting to harm a person you love...if you make them into animals, you can do anything can’t you?” you start to see a pattern of dogs and women using gestures like dogs appearing in her work. These paintings are confrontational, whilst the women in these paintings are howling, crouching, and biting, simultaneously fuelled with a spirit of wildness that you are unsure if they are dangerous or vulnerable.   

Another painting that grabbed my attention was ‘The Policeman’s daughter’ (below), 1987. Both paternal and state power are alluded to by the policeman's boot. As she diligently polishes a police officer's boot, the girl's position is unclear. As an attack against patriarchy through female sexual liberation, she inserts her arm inside the boot. She could, on the other hand, be obediently serving and conforming to those in authority. The symbolic narrative continues with an ambivalent black cat, unsure of its intentions. Is the cat a symbol of the girl, trying to escape the realities of everyday duties or is it guarding the girl and searching for its victims? This is what I love about her work, even though she had a clear idea when painting something, it’s still open to interpretation.  

‘The Policeman’s Daughter, 1987

In ‘Snare’ (below), she applies more volume and shadow and very detailed patterns and texture. The woman’s bulging skirt is hiding a secret, a concealed truth, that reveals one's dark side or ‘shadow’. Psychiatrist Carl Jung coined this word to characterise the unconscious mind's repressed impulses, vulnerabilities, and sexual inclinations. Rego valued Jungian’s concepts because it encouraged her to use painting to express her hidden fears and desires. 

‘Snare’, 1987

These rooms are so good and filled with such strong paintings that you can begin to see that she is an important artist. For example, in ‘The Maids’ (Below), 1987 she explores themes of domination and oppression. The subject matter of power imbalances is realized via attire and role-playing and asks the viewer to consider who is in charge. On the wall, she again employs shadows as a metaphor that echos the killing hands. A wild boar entering into the household environment is another animal featured, which suggests drama.  

‘Family’, 1988

After her partner died, Paula Rego painted ‘The Dance’ (Below) which took her 6 months to complete. Set on a beach in Portugal with her late husband appearing twice in the painting. He is shown dancing with Paula Rego and then again with another lover with blonde hair. This plurality along with the movement of the people contradicts the stillness of the building behind the dancers which was inspired by a fort used as a prison to torture civilians during the Estado Novo.  

‘The Dance’, 1988

The "Abortion" series in 1999 (Below), was created at the time of Portugal's abortion vote and is candid in its reality. The harshness of texture and aggressive contours of this series add an even darker element to an already taboo subject. 

She uses other animals to convey ideas about other subject matters. For example, in 2003 she created a painting called ‘War’ (Below) which is a powerful reimagining of a newspaper shot of a bombing in Basra, featuring a rabbit-head-human and other bloodied victims trying to find some form of peace. 

‘War’, 2003

What makes a good artist? An. Artist. Like. Paula. Rego.  

New artwork! 'All too Human', 29.7 x 42.0cm, pen and ink on 230g akvarel paper, 2020

New artwork!

'All too Human', 29.7 x 42.0cm, pen and ink on 230g akvarel paper, 2020

I would like to know what this says to you. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

an art piece I made 5 years ago that feels more relevant today than ever before

5 years ago I made this piece of rats wearing masks, patiently waiting for something to happen. It was a protest piece on how cosmetic companies wrongfully test their products on animals, so I subverted the role-play of humans with rats. Looking back at it now during this pandemic, it reads differently to me. When I look at it now, the rats are now us, anxious, with masks on, not social distancing, but waiting for something positive to happen. It seems like this piece is more relevant now. Tell me what you think about it and how it makes you feel.

Staying creative and sane during COVID-19.

Francis Bacon, ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion’, 1944

Most of us have never experienced anything like this before, and it’s pretty surreal. It feels like a Black Mirror episode, mixed with the films of Groundhog Day and the Truman Show all blended into one big, dystopian shitshow. Repetition of going to the kitchen seems tedious, not having a haircut for months felt liberating, and the fact of finally seeing someone familiar that you haven’t seen in a while has become a treat, while not seeing others has been a blessing. The whole bubble of forcing many of us to re-evaluate our lives, and what we took for granted before has become a daily mirror. But that’s a good thing, right? 

Like everyone in 2020, there have been certain things that I miss like going to concerts, the cinema, and of course going to art galleries and seeing new exhibitions. It hasn’t been an easy ride for us, and winter is something no one is looking forward to.

The Garrick Arms - Stay Strong

The advantages of going to a gallery/museum during a pandemic

I went to Tate Modern recently, just because I miss going to art galleries and because I just wanted to see their permanent collection (for the 43rd time - I’m guessing). It sucked because of Covid-19 and the lack of the spontaneity of just popping into a gallery whenever I feel like it, now it’s all pre-booking with a timeslot ticket in advanced stuff. On the other hand, the advantage was that there were hardly any queues, not so many people, barely any tourists, and children were almost absent. On the whole, it was inspiring as I could breathe and have space (maybe social distancing is a good thing after all, especially in London).  

When I got to the room of Francis Bacon’s ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion’, I started to question why mental health has been considered a weakness for so long. Despite him being a post-war artist, Francis Bacon who was self-taught took on the human psyche and used his mental health issues as a tool to paint some of the most haunting, yet honest paintings of the human condition. I am glad mental health is being spoken about more in today's world, but this needs to obviously be further addressed and understood.

Francis Bacon, ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion’, 1944

The gift and curse of COVID-19 for artists 

One of the few positive things about all of this is the artwork coming out, I've seen some cool stuff by artists emerging online and in the streets. It has formed a creative window for everyone to come up with something from nothing, into something special. This period of solitude time has almost forced many people to get ‘in tune’ with their creative sides and allowed more of the ‘me time’ back into people’s lives. The gift for the artist is that solitude rewards the artist with new artwork, the drawback is that there is a lack of opportunities for exhibitions, to sell and show, as well as visiting other artists.

Patrick Heron

‘Yellow Painting : October 1958 May/June 1959’

The Plague

When I read Albert Camus’s book, ‘The Plague’ over ten years ago, I remembered how he used the metaphor of the walking people already dead from their spiritual side, and who barely existed by just working for business sake, and being distracted by the mundane things in life to get by in order to preoccupy themselves from the dread of facing themselves... 

"The truth is that everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits. Our citizens work hard, but solely with the object of getting rich. Their chief interest is commerce, and their chief aim in life is, as they call it, 'doing business.'"

 

This was written in 1947 but yet feels so relevant to now with how many people around the world are obsessed with obtaining wealth and greed and being distracted from facing anything but their own souls. This is the plague that I think Camus was trying to say, that by not facing your own soul and responsibility of your own existence, becomes the death; the plague.   

 

I keep telling Camus’s concept to myself as I feel that I am becoming a real day sleeper and just existing for society’s sake. I'm starting to make more art and am thinking more creative and clearer. It’s all still progress, but I hope I don’t fall back into the plague once the plague has ended. 

 

Be safe and stay alive (spiritually and physically) 

 

Yours truly, 

New artwork! - ‘Who controls who?’

‘who controls who?’, 29.7 x 42.0cm, pen and ink on 230g akvarel paper, 2020

new work! - 'Survival of the Fittest'

‘Survival of the Fittest’,

29.7 x 42.0cm, watercolour on 230g akvarel paper,

2020

Finding positives in a situation like this

Hey, I hope everyone is ok and staying safe.  

I'm trying to find positives in a situation we’re facing, which is both challenging and difficult.  

Less ego, more empathy

What this situation has explicitly exposed is both empathy and ego. As Sadhguru (2014) said; there are ‘human beings’ and ‘human creatures’. Human beings just ‘be’ and are humble with themselves and care for others, ‘human creatures’ on the other hand, act like or in some cases behave worse than animals. We have witnessed in the last few weeks some great displays of care of empathy, for instance; practising social distancing when it was Mothers Day in the UK, or when I witnessed a few weeks ago that a random woman in front of me at a supermarket decided to buy all the groceries for an elderly lady. However, there has been some shitty behaviour from human creatures that is dictated by their ego, for instance some smaller shops exploiting prices on products, certain people hoarding food and the absurdity of panic buying, certain people still physically socialising, and the list goes on and on. Although, it’s important to remember that principles and morals are Man-made, human instinct and ego isn’t. Our society has become flooded with self-centred behaviour and the self-entitlement of me, me, me and greed. This has always existed, but nowadays, it is more visually obvious. When people act in ignorance, they unfortunately suffer. The ignorance of those who avoid social distancing ultimately could hurt themselves or those around them. We can blame many things such as, Capitalism, the government, celebrities and social media, but I think we need to be more responsible for our own actions and try to be aware of it more. So, this situation will hopefully make people realise and re-evaluate life and ‘being,’ and hopefully the ego will be suppressed after this.  

Be the best friend to yourself

These are anxious times, but the most important thing is to the best friend to yourself. This has given me more time to make art, read and study. A couple of weeks ago, I was starting to feel anxious, but now I’m doing more of my own stuff, I feel better for it. Take this moment to enjoy your own company and do the things you love doing that involves being inside. The world outside is beyond our control, but we are in control of our mental state. 

Fear weakens the immune system 

There’s also a lot of hysterical pollution in the media, consisting of the bombardment of news updates, fake news and misinformation, and self-appointed experts on social media. Fear weakens the immune system. If we allow fear to manifest itself and dominate our mindset by being updated every 2 minutes with updates, then we will make ourselves ill. I'm not saying be ignorant to what’s going on, we should all take precautions, but edit and limit the noise from the media. I know this because I was doing the exact same when this started to dominate the media, and feel awful, but now I'm doing my best to limit what I see, and concentrate in what I love.  

Take care and stay safe

'It's not just black and white' group exhibition - curated by Natasha Clarke @ The Water House Railway Institute, York

You’ve been invited to the exhibition ‘It’s Not Just Black and White’ taking place at The Water House Railway Institute on Friday the 17th January 6.pm-9.pm

The show investigates themes of being biracial and multi-ethnic in a society that is fixed by categorisation. Our unique experiences of tethering between ethnic groups means we are often generalised to the one ethnicity we visually appear to belong to. Our stories are lost and underrepresented. Here’s a chance to build our own culture where we celebrate our uniqueness and break down stereotypes of racial identification.  

We want you to be a part of this amazing event which showcases six talented biracial artists! 

Ali Tareen, Rohini Jones, Jessica Butcher, Latifah A. Stranack, Louise Evans & Jessica Mallard  

The exhibition is curated by Natasha Clarke

We can’t wait to see you there.

The Water House Railway Institute, 

2 Queen St, York,

YO24 1AD, UK

What happened to democracy? a portrait of Vaclav Havel

why is Right-wing populism so popular today?

When I made this portrait of the ex-president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel back in early Spring 2015, the world seemed to be in a better place (even though tensions were slowly increasing). Overall, democratic leadership in western countries had a better position than in 2019: Barack Obama (the first black president of the USA) was still in power, the vote for Brexit hadn't happened yet, The Czech Republic had no oligarch as prime minister. On the other hand, Right-wing populism, and fake news was on the rise, but nobody really expected nationalism to be in such a strong position as it does in today’s world.

Who rules who?

Businesses and businessmen now dominated the political arena more than ever, controlling and turning countries into businesses and citizens into its employees.

Vaclav Havel would be a torn man in today’s political climate

I painted Vaclav Havel in a classical thinking position. He sits and stares vacantly, sad into the distance, thinking about what went wrong with democracy in today’s world. He fought his whole life for it in Czechoslovakia and was punished and imprisoned for seeking fairness. The fall of the iron curtain was a beautiful moment for freedom and human rights, and Havel was rightly so the first president of Czechoslovakia after Communism.

Looking back now, we can see how divided these countries have become and this piece for me is a mirror of not just how Havel would feel about the current state of western politics, but also how I and most people I know feel about the current state of politics. I composed Havel onto two pieces of paper, which symbolises him as a man of peace and equality, but a torn man, divided and separated from having inner and outer peace.

Today is the anniversary Vaclav Havel passed away back in 2012.

Let's remember him by not forgetting about democracy, but embracing human rights, promoting freedom of speech and exposing fake news. Not forgetting to wear short trousers :)

How to improve drawing and seeing things differently

At the beginning of my recent workshop, a student used the ‘classic sentence’: ‘I can’t draw!’. My immediate reaction was a combination of genuine confusion and bewilderment. Even though, I have heard the same words throughout the years, it is something I have always had trouble understanding.

When I hear the words: ‘ I can’t draw’, I interpret the words to be ‘I can’t breathe’. I simply find this not to be true; if someone wouldn’t be able to breathe, they simply would cease to exist. As while as someone can breathe, someone can also communicate. Either, verbally or visually. Drawing has evolved and also how we view our world. It’s just that our own creativity has been suppressed and we are afraid to making mistakes and being judged and mocked.

The true fundamentals of drawing is a matter of using perceptive intuition and expression. It is a matter of making use more of your left brain and switching to your right brain. It is a matter of making mistakes.

When we were children, we were playful, we explored and we learnt to have fun and we weren’t afraid of making mistakes. Institutions such as: Schools, family and work project a limited and rigid view on how to see the world and how to approach it, often frowning upon creativity and focusing more on logic. This is the mistake. This why you think you can’t draw. This is why your confidence in creativity has been eroded.

What to do

In order to improve on drawing, we have to think about how we see perspectives differently. I think it is important to practice using the eye as a muscle to exercise, as we would with our feet when we go jogging. It is not so much about technical skill, but more to do with how we perceive things when we look at things and how to execute it in a way that suggests an honesty.

If the sentences of ‘I can’t draw’ lingers long enough in your head, then despite what you do, the idea becomes manifested as true. Another sentence is followed with: ‘but I want to draw it how I see it’.

Most often than not, most people aspire for the presentation preference of the geometric, pragmatic, two-dimensional, structural engineering process. The concept for perceptive intuition becomes void and anything with wonky eyes and a long nose gets shunned upon by the person’s own creation or feels embarrassed if presented to others.

Avoid being an expert. Old ideas become a repetitive ritual. New methods can become a gateway for an improved you.

How to draw better

Stop labeling objects! Question, challenge and dissect the thing you want to draw. This can include drawing from multiple viewpoints, using different materials and having distance from it (hang it up - step back and look for what needs improvement)

Cezanne used to sit; analyzing and studying his subject for long periods before actually working on his pieces.

Instead of trying to draw a perfect symmetric face or to replicate the subject, think about what you are actually seeing in front of you as opposed to what comes from memory and what you think it should look like. Consider using your pencil as a measuring instrument. Pick the subject up if it’s small or walk around it - see it from a different angle. Get close to the subject. The more you research and try to understand the subject, the easier it will be to translate it from your eyes and hands to the paper or canvas.

Feel confident in what you know and understand the best you can about the subject. That will make you better, if not great at drawing.

Ali Tareen Creative workshops in Prague

A fun and enjoyable time being back in the studio in Letna, Prague. With 8 new students from America and Canada on an art break retreat. Even though we could all speak in the same language and understand one another, what I pleasantly encountered was the sheer diversity and dynamic creativity that came through in their visual language and what resulted in their final outcomes. Collectively, it worked well; the group shared ideas and I encouraged them to give feedback in every session. In terms of individualistically, it was evident that there were moments of fun and enjoyment, hence the wonderful work that came out of the workshops.  I feel that a true sense of fun and enjoyment, whilst being creative is strongly missing in all realms throughout our current society and I believe we should all embrace it a bit more. 

Thank you to everyone who participated and a big thank you to Richard, Doug and Klara! 

Stay creative! 😉