Soufiane Ababri
Solo Exhibition, SPACE
28 Sep – 24 Nov 2018
Opening: Thur 27 Sep, 6-9pm
Gallery hours: Mon – Fri: 9-5pm, Sat: 1-6pm

SPACE is excited to announce the opening of Soufiane Ababri’s first UK show in its main Mare Street gallery on 27 September 2018. The exhibition will present a new body of work by the Tangier-born artist, the culmination of a month-long residency at SPACE. For this commission, SPACE is working in partnership with Glassbox gallery in Paris to generate a high-profile exchange between London and Paris in support of Ababri’s work.

Ababri’s work confronts homophobia and racism in order to dismantle mechanisms of domination — from post-colonialist to patriarchal power structures — while aiming to thwart oppressive social dynamics. His intimately drawn, erotically charged scenes are inspired by images of his family and friends, online sources and art history. The artist highlights the influence of violence on the forms of art history and on cultural identities. Appropriating everyday moments, street scenes, press photographs and intimate acts, he explores themes of anonymous sex, gay icons, post-colonial exoticism and relationships of domination. His evocative drawings, installations and performances contribute greatly to contemporary art discourse on race and sexual identity.

Coeval Magazine says of Ababri’s artwork “The fearlessness of his boundary-pushing work ignites with flying colours much-needed discussions about the convergence of discriminations for the LGBTQI community.” (Coeval Magazine, May 2018)

This project is generously supported by Fluxus Art Projects     

Image credit: Soufiane Ababri, from the series “Bed Works”, coloured pencils on paper 24 x 32 cm, 2016 – ongoing