Talar Aghbashian with a BA from the Lebanese University in 2003 and studied at Central Saint Martins in London graduating with an MA in 2008. She went on to study at Birkbeck, University of London between 2009 and 2010 to study Arts Curation.
Where other artists in the exhibition focus on experiences of Heartbreak that are rooted in place, Aghbashian’s paintings are notably atemporal. Their representations of loss and ruin are not fixed by time, but are timeless because of their allegorical quality.
Aghbashian’s work is characteristically gestural. Each of the acrylic paintings directly references the composition of landscapes, however Aghbashian does not necessarily populate the scenes with natural imagery. Instead, she accumulates different symbols that transcend time. The creation of her paintings involves a lengthy research process in which an array of source images are gathered, and then recast as part of an imaginary landscape. For this commission, Aghbashian’s reference photos took in a range of inspiration from classical statues to contemporary wrestling footage. An image such as an early modern sketch by Dutch artist Abraham Bloemaert sits alongside a terracotta statue from Pompeii as the inspiration for Veering away South. This eclecticism is possible because of Aghbashian’s ability to render her subjects abstractly, and then assimilate them in a new composition.
Aghbashian worked as a curator at the Natural History Museum and the V&A Museum London between 2009 and 2010.
She has been part of group exhibitions at: Barge House (2008), Cordy House (2008), Coningsby Gallery (2009), Brunei Gallery, SOAS (2010), Bearspace Gallery (2012), ING Discerning Eye Exhibition at the Mall Galleries (2012), Turps Gallery (2016), and the Sluice Biennial (2017).
Her recent solo exhibitions include Carbon 12, Dubai (2015) and Marfa’ Projects, Beirut (2018). She has been part of group exhibitions at Mall Galleries, London (2012), Turps Gallery, London (2016) and Walker Art Gallery as part of the Liverpool Biennial (2016). In 2016 Aghbashian was a recipient of the John Moores Painting Prize.
Talar Aghbashian lives and works in London.
