Bodhi is an exhibition that focuses on the human search for enlightenment, featuring works by Olympia Scarry, Jaume Plensa, Khanlar Gasimov and Shan Hur.
Following their successful series of provisional shows across a variety of London-based venues,
Gazelli Art House is pleased to announce the opening of its first permanent gallery space, located
on 39 Dover Street in Central London.
The gallery will launch the space with a group show
entitled Bodhi, which will engage with audiences on a spiritual level. ‘Bodhi’ is a Sanskrit word
traditionally translated into English as ‘enlightenment’. In Buddhism it is the knowledge
possessed by a Buddha into the nature of all things.
Bodhi is the finale of a series of exhibitions focusing on the five main classical elements; Fire,
Earth, Water, Air, and Ether. Throughout 2011, shows were located in unique ‘one off’ settings
across the capital. Bringing the whole series together in 2012 will be Bodhi, an exhibition that
focuses on the human search for enlightenment. This will be exhibited in Gazelli Art House’s first
permanent gallery space in central London.
In Bodhi, artists include Olympia Scarry, Jaume Plensa, Khanlar Gasimov, and Shan
Hur.
Olympia Scarry is a Swiss artist, who lives and works in New York. Scarry's discipline in
Psychology is a driving force in her works as with her new body of work which focuses on the
examination of reality and the self. Scarry captures actions and reactions to moments of
frustration and boredom and turns them into something tangible as in the marble “Bubble Wrap
Painting". Often Scarry's objects frustrate our expectations by rendering habitual urges
impossible or by glorifying an involuntary response such as a boring "Yawn". In creating
environments and records of the human touch, Scarry voluntarily allows forms to overpower
physiology.
Jaume Plensa is a world-renowned artist from Barcelona who is also the current artist in
residence at The Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Plensa has created numerous public works around
the world, including the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, Chicago. He unveiled his most
recent public sculpture Echo presented in Madison Square Park, New York City in May 2011. He
has had solo exhibitions at the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas; Musée Picasso, Antibes; Museo
Reina Sofia, Madrid; Galerie National du Jeu de Paume, Paris; and the Arts Club of Chicago,
among many others. He lives and works in Barcelona. For Gazelli Art House’s opening show,
Plensa will present his light and 'verbal' sculpture, Overflow, where stainless steel letters are
soldered together to create the figure of a sitting man. Additionally, a selection of Plensa’s mixed
media drawings on paper will be also showcased.
Khanlar Gasimov is an Azerbaijani artist who lives and works in Connecticut, USA. Despite
this geographical distance, the essence of Gasimov’s art still lies in his roots. He finds particular
inspiration in Azerbaijani poetry. His poetic-recited canvases - last on show at the 54th Venice
Biennale as part of the Azerbaijani Pavilion - demonstrate a philosophical approach to the
physical form of art. At Gazelli Art House, Gasimov will also exhibit his acclaimed sculpture The
Most Honourable - an umbrella that is fashioned from silicone to simulate human skin. The
work symbolically illustrates a type of a shield whilst the human nature of the object transforms
the idea of this protective everyday object to a being, which is exposed to its surroundings.
Shan Hur is a Korean artist who lives and works in London. In the beginning one assumes
Shan's work is part of the gallery setting but viewer's perceptions are challenged the closer they
examine it. The ideas, which inform Hur’s practice, derive from a fascination in the moment of
transition when a particular space is reconfigured for a new purpose. Constant doubt and
questioning of our perceptions is crucial to developing the enlightened self.
Press contact:
Lika Tarkhan-Mouravi +44 (0) 207 7887658 press@gazelliarthouse.com
Private view: March 15, 6pm-9pm
Gazella Art House
39 Dover Street - London
Free admission