New collection from Aisha Caan fuses eastern and western contemporary art

A new exhibition opens at the Albemarle Gallery on 30 March. Aisha Caan has created an inspiring art collection which is a hybrid of her Eastern heritage, conviction of the belief in God and inspiration taken from Western abstract expressionist artists. Her exhibition, ‘Elements of Nature’, opens at the Albemarle Gallery on 1^st April and runs until 30^th April, 2011.
 

This is her third major solo exhibition, but the first exhibition in a commercial gallery. As well as having numerous group shows, she recently showed her work at the Russian Art Fair. A variety of clients have been attracted to her work, from different faiths, cultures and even atheists in the UK and worldwide.
 

Aisha’s work is of a very spiritual nature. It’s about the creation of the universe and its Creator. In this collection she brings together the three disciplines of art, science and religion. It reinforces her belief that there is a spiritual aspect within each of these areas and for her forthcoming exhibition, expresses these dimensions through architectural forms. Aisha believes that this exhibition encapsulates her observations on how man places himself on this planet, and that wherever he places himself he creates divisions.  “They are divisions of culture, creed, countries, borders, race and power,” she says.  “Architecture is the art and science of designing and erecting physical structure, and these structures not only contain man, but also create lines and divisions. They are divisions of culture, countries and power”. 
 

Aisha conveys a message about the oneness of God by creating luminosity within her work to express the light of God and His spirit, and then applies Arabic calligraphic script that represents certain aspects of Creation and the Creator. ‘’My journey as a painter has enabled me to pose questions to myself and to others. Recently, the essential elements of nature and the very essence of existence have intrigued me, and this has led me to explore the purpose of life and the Omnipresent,’’ she says.
 

The narrative of her paintings unfolds in a series of layers. Before Aisha starts to put paint onto canvas she has already worked through preparatory layers, the most important of which is to develop the initial source of inspiration, which comes through contemplating verses from the Quran.  As this contemplation provides layers of discovery and understanding, so the painting itself is built up in a series of layers, with revelations expressed through the varied realisation of colours, processes and techniques in each successive layer.  From the initial source of inspiration to the final layer of paint on the canvas her work reflects her spiritual and philosophical nature.

She says, “God has created such a beautiful world in the most perfect representational form, which I know I cannot replicate; instead I try to go beyond representational art and provoke thought and contemplation of the Sublime through a non-representational form’’.

 

Aisha graduated from the London College of Fashion as a fashion designer and embarked on an entrepreneurial journey in fashion retail. Aisha’s chain of boutiques went on to be lucrative businesses and led to successful seasonal fashion shows. She was later asked to return to the London College of Fashion, this time to lecture students. Aisha decided later in life to follow her creative passion and complete an MA in Fine Art at Central St Martins. She is now an accomplished artist and continues to work passionately within her chosen career.  Aisha lives in London with her husband and two daughters.