Hosfelt Gallery Showcases Painter Driss Ouadahi's Series Exploring Migration, Refugees, Borders, Walls, Ethnicity and Social Class
30 Jun, 2016, 13:00 BST
During a Time of Unprecedented Global Migration, Ouadahi's Art Captures the Social and Physical Conflicts Exposed by Human Mobility
SAN FRANCISCO, June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco's premier contemporary art gallery, today announced its next exhibit starting July 16, 2016 of a new body of work by Algerian painter Driss Ouadahi. Ouadahi's work considers the political and psychological aspects of boundaries and borders and was inspired by his volunteer work helping refugees from Middle East conflicts resettle in Germany. Ouadahi's work is dominated by photo-realistic fences, cityscapes and tiled tunnels that question the myth of human mobility. His work is particularly relevant during a time when walls and borders have become prominent in both European and American politics and through actions like the recent "Brexit" (United Kingdom exit from the European Union), partly on grounds of immigration and border control.
"Ouadahi's depictions of the fence are meticulous, almost resembling an actual photograph, but his atmospheric backgrounds are ambiguous and evocative," said Todd Hosfelt, founder of Hosfelt Gallery. "The fences are often slashed open like a gaping wound, or bent out-of-shape, to suggest the struggle and impediments the millions of people fleeing war and violence face as they seek a better life. Ouadahi uses the fence as a de-humanizing symbol of alienation and otherness. This new body of work from an international rising star sends a distinctive message to those who call for the building of walls and closing of borders. Hosfelt Gallery is proud to host this series at a particularly timely and relevant moment given today's global news."
Driss Ouadahi was born in Morocco to Algerian political exiles. He first studied architecture in Algiers and then painting at the world-renowned Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, where he lives today. He was awarded the grand prize at the Dakar Biennale in 2014, and his work has been exhibited internationally, including New York, Dubai, North Africa and throughout Europe. Hosfelt Gallery will present his depictions of chain-link fences and empty subway tunnels, influenced by Ouadahi's interactions with Syrian and Iraqi refugees who have re-settled in Germany.
The exhibition will open on Saturday, July 16, 2016 with a public reception from 4 to 6 pm, and can be seen at Hosfelt Gallery through August 8, 2016. The gallery is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 am-5:30 pm, and Thursday 11 am-7 pm. Private appointments are also available by calling 415-495-5454. For more information, including photos and a description of the exhibition, visit www.hosfeltgallery.com.
About Hosfelt Gallery
Founded 20 years ago in September of 1996, Hosfelt Gallery has distinguished itself as a pioneer, both in its consistent introductions of exceptional new artists from around the world, and its unconventional exhibition spaces. Hosfelt Gallery's trailblazing move to its current location established the nucleus of what is now San Francisco's newest and most vibrant arts district, DoReMi. With 8,900 square feet of sky-lit exhibition space in a former door factory, the gallery's integration of distinctive contemporary design with unaltered remnants of the building's prior function mirrors its programmatic emphasis on innovative expression born out of a deep understanding of social, political, and/or cultural history. In 2015, Hosfelt Gallery founded the first Digital Media Conservation Lab to address the growing need for the preservation of digital and electronic art in private and corporate collections. Hosfelt Gallery is a member of the Art Dealers Association of America. For information on current and upcoming exhibitions and artists represented, visit www.hosfeltgallery.com.
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