tones resembling glazed ceramic, further pull the viewer away from any familiarity with the sculptures, be it to the material or the form. These anthropomorphic branches interrupt the familiar domestic wallpaper. The floral backdrop explores an environmental notion of the relentless effort to contain the natural world. Flowers of absurdly bright colours and twisted shapes, represent a desire for appropriation and control.
Paintings on cardboard are a recurring medium in avaf’s practice. The variable material qualities of the cardboard offer the possibility to explore textural layers which are peeled back and re-surface, resulting in a sculptural painterly work. Through a painstakingly detailed process of carving, cleaning and painting the cardboard, these intricate works command from the viewer, concentration and proximity, drawing one into a universe of minute scale. Images which evoke intertwined body parts, plants morphed into geometric landscapes of textures and tones are gradually revealed upon closer inspection. In fact, this is contrasted with the boldness of their supporting sculptures, which echo broad strokes and an intuitive process. Jointly with the paper-clay hands, these pleasure vessels, as described by the artists, encompass the chaos of unruly desire and uninhibited expression.
In fact, a strong energy emanates from avaf’s installations. The vibrant colours and large scale in their presentations intensify the viewer’s engagement, creating a rhythm and pathway of discovery to which one invariably reacts. One is energised upon encountering the work. avaf’s Gesamtkunstwerk explores, through a bold expressiveness, a practice which is democratised and expansive in its reach.
