The South African artist’s first solo exhibition in the UK takes inspiration from indigenous dance.

Adams’ cross-disciplinary practice combines aspects of weaving, sculpture and installation whilst exploring concerns related to race, religion and sexuality.

Drawing on the material and formal iconographies of Islam, his intricate textile works also reference the socio-political histories of creole communities.

The exhibition takes the form of a single immersive environment. It consists largely of new works that have been produced for the occasion.

Each work, and the exhibition as a whole, is composed of multiple patterns. These explore the potential of woven material to reflect the multiplicities of Adams’ own identity and of broader cultural interchange.

Igshaan Adams, Fall, 2018. Beads, galvanised wire, cotton twine and mixed rope, fringe. 230 x 160 x 40 cm. Courtesy Blank Projects

Throughout the exhibition, Adams builds on this sense of movement and journeying. Visitors encounter pathways through the gallery created by the placement of weavings on the floor.

The pathways resemble tectonic forms, like the nature of the weave itself. They evoke ‘desire lines’, paths that pedestrians take intuitively rather than following set routes.

For Adams, desire paths are human traces in a terrain that represent both freedom and transgression. This sense of ‘desire’ comes across strongly in Adams’ practice as he seeks to liberate himself from homogenous constructs of identity.

The exhibition runs from Wednesday 19 May – Sunday 25 July 2021.

NB: From Wednesday 19 May, the Gallery is open Wednesday – Saturday, 11am – 7pm, and Sunday, 10am – 6pm; and closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Book here

Header Image: Adam Igshaan TL Mag