Exhibition: "Conversations before the end of time" by Saad Qureshi @ Lakeside arts

 SAAD QURESHI: CONVERSATIONS BEFORE THE END OF TIME @ LAKESIDE ARTS.

I really enjoyed this exhibition, the themes sits perfectly between my last project "Devil music" and my current project " Grave goods" so its a really good place to begin my research and contemplate on the last project.. Here the artist is creating sculptural works based on cross cultural conversations with people about the after life. The idea of heaven , its a  fantastical exhibition and tastefully done, like a bizarre model village. I particularly liked the gates, like heaven gate's I assume, all stacked up against each other and leaning on the wall, they are very similar to the metal work doors and screen's inside the Addams building.  As I'm exploring themes of grief , the subject of the end of the world, the after life is absolutely on my radar so I feel very encouraged by his exhibition, that this is still a contemporary subject to pursue in fine art and can be done in a way that feels at ease, peaceful, contemplative ,positive and fresh.

the other part of the exhibition is a series of illustrative watercolours featuring the devil, so  sits well with my last project where I was imagining the devil as a character through song writing and visual art. here in Saads exhibition and similar to the folk tales I've refenced before, his devil also appears as a fallible character and more human than not.  the illustrations are beautiful and tactile, the paper looks handmade, there are details of gold leaf and patterned college of an eastern influence, that makes it all feel very authentic and otherworldly.