Painted Translations | 18 September - 1 October 2023

Painted Translations visually explores the potential of art as language, exhibiting methods of artistic expression that universally communicate; a message, a feeling, a connection, all at once. Each artist draws from the ancient traditions of language and storytelling, demonstrating an understanding of its spiritual and social foundations.

References to the ancient art of Arabic and Chinese calligraphy as well as Greek mythology allude to a persistent and innate desire to communicate, one that has persevered across cultures, peoples and epochs. Painted Translations displays the importance as well as the potential of artistic expression as language, a practice that is capable of establishing profound and universal connections that worldly phrases simply cannot.

In a world that is more interconnected than ever before, it seems paradoxical to acknowledge the prevailing presence of dissonance and isolation. As a consequence of an ever-expanding digital landscape, the immense possibility afforded by such development has possibly diluted and overwhelmed our communicative networks. Painted Translations shows that artistic expression has the potential to navigate such an epidemic of miscommunication, transcribing the human experience with universal effect.

- Katerina Matheson

Josh Rowell

Josh Rowell (b.1990, England) explores the structure and dynamics of communication by creating his own painterly language, consisting of polka-dot colours which are painted with analogous precision. Rowell transcribes stories from Greek mythology, identifying with the sacred practice of story-telling that seeks to explain the world and the human experiences within it. Reverting these elaborate and archaic myths into a visually minimal code, Rowell constructs an idea that patterns and structures have a prevailing undercurrent in all aspects of life, connecting us in illegible and inexplicable ways.

eL Seed

eL Seed (b.1981, France) is a contemporary painter and sculptor, renowned for his incorporation of Arabic calligraphy in public art projects. He draws from the wisdom of poets, writers and philosophers to convey messages of peace and to emphasise the commonalities of human existence. eL Seed paints Arabic calligraphy because of its universal poeticism. He explains that it is not necessary to read the language to understand the piece.

Qin Feng

Qin Feng (b. 1961), is a leading ink artist and representative of China’s avant-garde movement. His works demonstrate a masterful understanding of the spiritual expressiveness and compositional balance of Chinese calligraphy. Qin explores the synthesis of Western modernism and Chinese traditional ink-painting throughout his practice, inviting new cultural dialogues and creating new forms of communication.

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Painted Translations: eL Seed, Josh Rowell, Qin Feng

19 September - 2 October, 11 DRAY WALK, LONDON, E1 6QL

Private View, Thursday 21, 18:00 - 21:00

SHAKE GALLERY PRESENTS Painted Translations FEATURING International artists EL SEED, JOSH ROWELL AND QIN FENG. THIS EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE POWER OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AS A FORM OF COMMUNICATION, transcending the limitations of conventional language.

Josh Rowell

eL Seed

Qin Feng

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