Portrait 2019

Alaa Awad made this 'Portrait' in 2016 with paint, I’m guessing oil or acrylic, judging by the lusciousness of the colour. You can see the process right there on the canvas, like a kind of archeology of mark making! The colours are bold – reds and blues – layered with a kind of raw energy. The paint is applied thickly, with visible brushstrokes adding texture and depth. Look at the way Awad builds up the figure with these strokes, especially around the face and shoulders. There's a kind of tension between representation and abstraction here, where the figure emerges from a chaotic field of colour and gesture. This portrait reminds me of the early expressionist portraits by someone like Kirchner – full of feeling, and alive with the tension of the artist’s touch. But, of course, Awad brings something completely new. Art isn't about fixed meanings anyway, right? It's more like a conversation, always open to new voices, new interpretations.