For this series of works I wanted to create optical illusions, by placing the figures in awkward positions across the canvas. This created the effect of each character being a pattern amongst the patterned background. It was also a way to draw the viewers attention to the motifs rather that the scene. The entire body of work was done on loose canvas, this was to make the pieces look like textiles in and of themselves. Painting on loose canvas was also done for practical purposes, for example, it creates new opportunities for using different hanging methods, such as, hanging from the ceiling, and curving around walls. Thinking about how my works can interact with a space is integral to my practice, and something that I wanted to explore further in this body of work.

Abi is a London based artist. She graduated from the Slade School of Fine Arts, UK London with a Master of Fine Arts, in 2021, and in 2019 she graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Her work looks at family portraiture, often the figures faces are without detail to encourage the viewer to focus on their patterned clothes and background rather that the characters themselves. She gets inspiration from African and British textiles, emojis, her imagination, and trips to the British Museum, Royal Academy of Arts, and the V&A. Recent group exhibitions include her upcoming show at the Ferens Art Gallery, and Humber Street Gallery in Hull from September 23^rd to 27^th November 2022, as part of New Contemporaries 2022, duo show with Ilke Cop at the Platform by the VCRB gallery, Belgium, 2022, “Before the Moon I am” group show celebrating International Women’s Day at the Hoxton Art Gallery, 2022. Recent solo shows includes “All are Gone the Old Familiar Faces” at the Flat Land Projects, Hastings, 2022, and “Love at a Distance”, at the Building Centre, London, 2020.