AiR Initiatives
Shezad Dawood: Open Studio
August 20, 2019
Open Studio
Long Studio
Resident artist, Shezad Dawood, hosted an informal open studio at the Long Studio.
Based in London, Dawood’s work transcends disciplines to deconstruct systems of image, language, site and narrative. His practice often involves collaboration and knowledge exchange, mapping across geographic borders and communities.
While in residence with Fogo Island Arts, Dawood collaborated with local craftspeople and makers to create a body of textile works as part of his ongoing interdisciplinary project Leviathan.
Leviathan is an ambitious ten-part film cycle inaugurated in 2017 that looks at some of the urgent issues of our times. In dialogue with a wide range of marine biologists, oceanographers, political scientists, neurologists and trauma specialists, Leviathan envisages a future very much like our present to consider possible links between borders, mental health and marine welfare. The project also includes a series of textiles, sculptures, and neons, collectively imagining a world where the fault lines between marine welfare, mental health and migration are not fully understood or responded to.
After Dawood’s residency with FIA, the works travelled to Toronto for a solo exhibition at MOCA and for presentation as part of the Toronto Biennial this fall.
This open studio was an opportunity to meet the artist, see the collaborative fibre pieces in progress, and learn about his artistic process. The event was free and open to the public. Light refreshments were served.