Fatima Moallim
Donnerstag, 25. April 2024 - 18:00 Uhr
Galerie Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman
curated by Theresa Roessler
[tart vienna]
Opening: Apr 25, 18–21:00
Fragments of memory appear out of thin air and disappear without a trace. Artist Fatima Moallim continually experiences nostalgia for the ‘90s. Although this longing doesn’t necessarily correlate with the transition into the internet era nor with pivotal moments of pop culture and grunge aesthetics, it embodies a sentiment that may not yet be tangible; one that must be triggered by observations, the moving hand, and drawn forms. She continues to use a specific BIC brand ballpoint pen from that time, which comes in four colours—green, blue, red, and black—and still defines her colour palette. Working with a pen or a linoleum surface like the kind she used to draw with/on in her childhood enables her to access a transgenerational heritage shaped by migration, alienation, and uncertainty.
The way Moallim draws resembles an exercise in self-inspection, where the mundane manifests itself in a sometimes enigmatic, sometimes choreographed visual language. With a deeply intuitive and spontaneous approach, elements and scenes observed from a window or talked about on the street translate into a broad range of shapes and forms marked directly onto the paper without a preliminary sketch. Like a visual meditation, Moallim’s imagery captures her surroundings while simultaneously evoking biographical memories of her childhood. At [tart vienna], her first presentation in Austria, she aims to create an intimate and personal space vaguely reminiscent of her studio’s atmosphere, sharing both unarticulated ideas and definite stories, and allowing visitors to witness the process of taking on a form.